Council Hears From Opponents of Data Center, Historic Demolition

WHEELING - Sixteen citizens came before Wheeling City Council on Tuesday night, most of whom voiced opposition to either the proposed data center in Warwood or the demolition of historic buildings downtown to accommodate a new waterfront development with a hotel.

Both projects promise to bring multimillion-dollar private investments to the city in buildings that years ago housed thriving Wheeling businesses but today sit vacant.

A who’s who of young community advocates - many of whom have become familiar faces to city leaders - filed into council chambers to form a standing-room-only crowd that packed the room through the duration of Tuesday night’s meeting.

As is customary during regular meetings of Wheeling City Council, citizens seeking to publicly share their thoughts on the record must sign up to speak at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Each speaker who signed up to participate in the meeting under the agenda item for "those wishing to be heard" must limit their remarks to three minutes, and their allotted opportunity to speak is strictly timed. City officials listen to the concerns but do not respond to them during the meeting.

Before the array of speakers proceeded, Ward 1 Councilman Tony Assaro addressed the topic of the data center that Silicon Foundation plans to bring to the former Centre Foundry and Machine Company in Warwood. Town hall meetings packed with concerned citizens have taken place in recent weeks since news of the proposed data center reached the public.

"I’d like to acknowledge how well our Warwood community came together during the recent events with the Centre Foundry property," said Assaro, who represents the Warwood neighborhood. "Citizens immediately began to get organized and started to discuss the possibilities of what might happen and how to deal with it.

"Since this began, I estimate that so far, I have talked with over 400 residents about the Silicon Foundry project. You should know that they are overwhelmingly opposed to it. I can count the number of those in favor of it on one hand. Seeing our neighbors united, supporting each other, calling for action and also being willing to take it really shows that Warwood really is a great place to call home."

Most of the speakers came to express concerns about the proposed data center, which is expected to be developed over the course of the next six months for the first phase of its plan.

"I’m asking you to stop the data center from being built in Warwood, and more broadly, for you to stop dismantling the real magic of Wheeling’s character," said Polly Barks of Warwood Avenue. "Folks in the city are attracting people like me with their big ideas and their genuine desire to cultivate a Wheeling renaissance, but I do not find that same spirit among city leadership. Frankly, Warwood is going to be a very hard sell when a droning energy vampire of a data center takes over."

Photo by Eric Ayres

Barks said it was disheartening that she and others like her who are doing grassroots work to better the Wheeling community are made to "feel fundamentally unheard" by city leaders.

"Your lack of transparency around the proposed data center and lack of political will to critically question projects that would severely impact our community do not make me want to continue to be a Wheeling evangelist, frankly," Barks said. "What would change that? Faith that our local officials care about their constituents. Pass a resolution that would make your position on data centers clear: they are not welcome in Warwood, they are not welcome in Wheeling or anywhere that would disrupt people or ecology."

Barks thanked Councilman Assaro for doing his due diligence on the matter, expressing appreciation on behalf of the citizens of Warwood.

Johnny Haught, who operates a business on 11th Street in Wheeling, repeatedly asked leaders "who do you work for?" during his three minutes at the podium.

"As you sneak our government representatives in and out of town so that they don’t have to face their own constituents, who do you work for?" Haught asked. "As you court and help with PR for a foreign company that has been caught lying multiple times about their intentions for the Centre Foundry location despite their own websites expressing different objectives … who do you work for?

"It seems like it’s not us. It seems like you work against the community more often than not. It seems like you only concern yourselves with these issues inside council chambers. Your jobs are not limited to council meetings and photo ops."

Photo by Eric Ayres

Haught said that when the community has no one taking their cares and concerns to state representatives, the values of members of the public and the values of the city officials are clearly not aligned.

The capacity crowd erupted in applause each time a speaker concluded.

On the matter of the historic buildings on 14th Street between Water and Main streets downtown, several citizens spoke urging council to make historic preservation a priority in Wheeling.

Ellery McGregor of downtown Wheeling described the historic buildings in the heart of the city as being "irreplaceable." She said she and her sister relocated from California to Wheeling - the hometown of their grandfather, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents - to live and help restore a Victorian home on Chapline Street.

"Wheeling can’t seem to knock down buildings fast enough, citing modernization and claiming that buildings are unsalvageable, demolishing our history and calling it progress. But we know that’s not true," McGregor said, naming several successful local businesses that revitalized historic buildings in the city. "You will never convince me that the best use of prime land in downtown is as a parking lot for WesBanco executives. Similarly, you will never convince me that knocking down the buildings on 14th Street is the right thing to do."

The proposed $63 million Waterfront redevelopment project downtown is being spearheaded by Vol for Life, a Wheeling-based development company established by Wheeling resident Barry Allen, who along with his wife, Lisa, previously led The Ziegenfelder Co. Initial plans for the development call for the construction of a multi-story, mixed use facility with a restaurant and coffee shop on the first floor, retail space on upper floors, a 2,600-square-foot events center, a rooftop bar and entertainment area, a 122-room hotel and eight condominiums, including a 3,000-square foot condo overlooking the Ohio River.

Assisting to bring the project to fruition, the city of Wheeling is helping to assemble the "capital stack" needed to move it forward. This involves utilizing money from the city’s Tax Increment Financing or TIF District funds for economic development to purchase the property needed for the project.

Existing buildings that are expected to be demolished include those where National Equipment Co. has operated for many years, as well as the former Wheeling Coffee & Spice buildings. Buildings set for demolition are considered "contributing" structures within the city’s historic downtown district, with one dating back before the Civil War.

Demolition of these structures must be approved by the Wheeling Historic Landmarks Commission. A public hearing on the demolition had been advertised and was scheduled to take place this past week, but it was canceled and is expected to be rescheduled. The contract for the demolition of the multiple buildings in the historic district was also publicly advertised for bids recently.

Photo by Eric Ayres

"We will never ever get buildings like this back if we tear them down," McGregor said, asking the city to help save the historic structures that remain in Wheeling.

Members of the local historic preservation organization Friends of Wheeling also spoke during the meeting. Jeanne Finstein, president of Friends of Wheeling, reminded city leaders of the demolition permit process and urged council to consider a new approach to preserve valuable architectural heritage in the city.

"To maintain the historic integrity of Wheeling, we need to be very selective in demolition," said Finstein, who did not mention the 14th Street properties specifically, but stressed that even some historic structures that have fallen into moderate disrepair can be saved, revitalized and repurposed. "We’ve been blessed with an amazing architectural heritage that other cities don’t have. Let’s work together to use that heritage to enhance our future."

Photo by Eric Ayres

The proposed waterfront development where the historic downtown structures are located is expected to be a $63 million investment. The Silicon Foundation’s data center in Warwood is said to be an investment valued at more than $100 million.