In introducing an ordinance to spend nearly $700,000 to replace the roof on the Lower Market House on Centre Market, the City of Wheeling made a prudent move for the future of that neighborhood, and not just in the obvious areas.

First, let’s talk about the obvious. Centre Market has been a hub of commerce in Wheeling for so long. It’s crucial that it remains healthy and free from structural issues.

Yet, that expenditure means so much more for Center Wheeling because of what isn’t there yet. The WVU Cancer Institute St. Joseph Regional Cancer Complex is beginning to take shape on the spot where the Ohio Valley Medical Center once stood. When it opens, as WVU Medicine plans in the fall of 2028, the $122.6 million project will change the face of Center Wheeling for the better.

So why not help that facelift along with a new roof at Centre Market?

If the ordinance, which had its first reading this past week, ultimately passes, the city will spend $680,000 with Mansuetto Roofing and Sheet Metal of Martins Ferry to replace the Lower Market Roof. A grant from the National Park Service in the amount of $150,000 will be used, along with a West Virginia State Development grant in the amount of $42,500, along with $289,000 from the city’s regular RCIP, $107,500 from the city’s Infrastructure RCIP and $100,000 from the city’s Project Fund.

One thing this does is offer empirical evidence that the City of Wheeling won’t simply sit back and watch WVU Medicine invest nine figures to transform Center Wheeling. The city is being proactive, spending its own money so that the neighborhood will be looking its best when the cancer complex’s doors ultimately open.

That complex will transform more than just the cosmetic aspects of Center Wheeling. The thousands of people who visit there each year will need places to eat. They’ll need places to relax away from the complex’s walls. They’ll need opportunities to take their minds off of what they’re dealing with through shopping or just people watching.

While private investment in downtown Wheeling is important, it’s also important that the city itself show private investors how serious it is in boosting the look and viability of downtown. The Downtown Streetscape Project was an example of that. So will be the Wheeling Gateway Center when it is built and open. Putting funds into Centre Market continues that mission and hopefully influences other businesses in that area to follow suit.

Wheeling must grow and move forward, especially in its downtown. This project is a great start to the city showing it is ready to do what’s necessary to make that happen. It needs to keep it up.