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New Day Care Space Dedicated at North Wheeling Dream Center

By ERIC AYRES 7 min read

WHEELING - The North Wheeling Community Dream Center is one step closer to bringing part of its vision into focus, as the facility’s new daycare facility was officially dedicated on Saturday.

Bishop Darrell Cummings and other representatives of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple were joined by city and state officials and other key supporters this past weekend to celebrate the completion of the newly renovated space.

The new child day care area inside the lower level of the Dream Center has been in the works for the past couple of years, and it is move-in ready for a provider to bring child care services to the facility - services that officials said are much needed in the area.

Cummings has led the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple with numerous community programs and events that have become hallmarks in Wheeling and beyond. From holiday food giveaways for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter to back-to-school student supply drives, Cummings’ vision to help the community stems back for over 30 years, and the congregation’s vision for the future is focused on the long-term redevelopment of 407 Main Street into the North Wheeling Dream Center.

Over the past several years, however, some of that dream has turned into somewhat of a nightmare, with plenty of challenges that needed to be overcome.

"The building is 35,000 square feet, four floors - it is a humongous place," said Cummings, noting that the sprawling facility was in need of renovation ... even before water damage caused even bigger hurdles. "In 2017, the pipes broke on the fourth floor. It flooded the entire building. It looked like a rain forest. The insurance company didn’t cover it because they said it was a preexisting condition. They covered certain things, but they didn’t cover enough to restore it."

But the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple did not face those challenges alone. Community leaders stepped up to help bring the ship back on course. Cummings said Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration was one of the businesses that stepped to the plate. Panhandle did much of the major cleanup at the Dream Center after the pipes caused flooding, helping by performing more than a quarter of a million dollars in necessary work.

"This building is just a building. We fix it up so we can help people who are less fortunate," said Bob Contraguerro Sr. of Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration, applauding Dr. Cummings, his congregation and the many community volunteers who - through the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple’s programs and events - truly help those less fortunate. "It’s amazing to see the work that’s being done here. If that doesn’t touch your heart, nothing will."

Cummings said Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal of Wheeling was another business that has provided significant help with the Dream Center’s renovation.

"The roof itself was $180,000," Cummings said, noting that other companies wanted to do the facility’s entire roof all at once, but Kalkreuth gave them time to raise funds to complete one portion at a time to fix the six-section, flat roof. "We didn’t have $180,000, so we asked them to do it in sections."

Officials in the city of Wheeling and Ohio County have also helped over the years, Cummings added.

"The center is more than just a place for children to come learn and play," said Wheeling City Councilwoman Connie Cain. "It will be a safe, loving environment where young minds will grow friendships and begin to dream for the future."

Cummings shared some of the history of the building where the Dream Center and new day care area is located in North Wheeling. The historic building was first designed by Wheeling architect Frederick Faris in 1916 as a large bakery building that produced the General Baking Company’s signature Bond Bread. The company became a national powerhouse and one of the first to mass market sliced bread, with more than 50 plants nationwide by 1930. The availability of sliced bread in supermarkets led to the decline of the company by the early 1960s, and the baking facility stopped production around 1970.

The building served as the State of West Virginia Social Services Department until the mid-2010s before the Bethlehem Apostolic church re-imagined it as the Dream Center.

Through the decades, the building has been putting out bread and helping people in the community. Cummings noted that today, a new chapter has brought many changes, but they are still doing the same - putting out bread and helping to serve the community’s needs.

Architect Wendy Scatterday assisted with the renovations of the new day care. She said that step by step, the vision of the Dream Center is becoming a reality, thanks to Cummings and the congregation.

"It’s an honor for me to help them steward this amazing building," Scatterday said. "It does have some challenges in terms of just its size and its age. Every step up until this moment has really been a foundation of love. I’m just so grateful and thankful that here we are today in this beautiful space, and it awaits a future with vibrant young children and the parents and families. Having this daycare facility will help them and bless them."

W.Va. Del. Shawn Fluharty (D-Ohio) said the new day care is a testament to the church’s partnerships with those willing to roll up their sleeves.

"It is about the whole community," Fluharty said, noting that Dr. Cummings is someone people in the area don’t just see on Sundays. "Our entire community comes together in a time of need. This is just another step along that way of showing that hard work pays off when you have the right people involved."

W.Va. Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman (R-Ohio) stressed the need for child care in the area and the importance of early childhood development, which leads to success later in life.

"Legislators can help through economic assistance, but without the community members willing to step up and take on this role, our children would be left behind," she said. "It’s just one more contribution to the community that Bishop Cummings and his wife have taken on to make North Wheeling and the entire community a better place."

Guest speaker Bishop Jeremiah Thomas of Pittsburgh blessed the new center and applauded Cummings and company for their unflinching efforts through the face of adversity.

"Your setbacks were a setup for a great comeback," Thomas said. "You have been a blessing to this community. God has placed the right people in your life."

Cummings noted that before the renovations took place in the day care space, members of the congregation wrote scriptures on the floor, which was covered up with new flooring. He said once the space is in operation as a day care, "children will be standing on the word of God."

Renovations to transform the space into a new day care cost more than $100,000, with new floors, walls, lighting, sprinkler system and other fire safety equipment installed.

"We did a lot of extra things for a daycare area so it will be move-in ready for somebody," Cummings said.

An agreement with one provider previously fell through, but efforts are in the works to find a new entity to operate the day care facility.

"We do not have an agreement at this time, but we’re prepared to receive someone," Cummings said. "We’re trying to say to all prospective people that this space has been built to suit their needs. We have the space that is ready."

Saturday's day care dedication was part of a week-long series of events celebrating the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple's 94th church anniversary.

Starting at /week.