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If Wheeling wants a future where young people have opportunities to stay here, where families can enjoy the area's amenities, where economic and population growth both are on the table, then it is up to us to make that happen.
That reminder was delivered to me this past week during a meeting with several folks on some exciting aspects of downtown Wheeling's future -- and trust me, the next several years could lead to transformational changes in how we think of and interact with sections of downtown. But the broader point is that we can't sit and wait for someone to come and save Wheeling.
Instead, that has to be our mission. We need to decide this community's future, put a plan in place, and execute.
That discussion led me to consider the new Vigilant Books & Coffee in North Wheeling. The business, which held its grand opening a little more than a week ago, is the brainchild of Chuck Wood and Vera Uyehara. They saw a need in reforming a deteriorating fire station in North Wheeling -- what is believed to be the second-oldest such structure in all of West Virginia -- into something that serves not only their interests, but also that of the broader community.
As Wood put it, he wants Vigilant Books & Coffee not to become just a place you visit, but instead a spot that feels like a "third place" in your life.
"The first place is where you live, the second place is where you work or go to school, and the third place is some pleasant, convenient and accessible place you can just drop in whenever you want," Wood said. "It’s where you have a comfortable place to be, have all sorts of people who may be friends or maybe people to make new friends with."
What an interesting concept with such promise. A place to gather. A reason to spend time in a neighborhood. An opportunity to strike up a conversation with someone whose path otherwise might never cross yours.
These are the businesses our communities should stand up for. We can praise the restoration, share a photograph, and talk about how wonderful it is to see something new open. But those doors stay open when people walk through them and spend money. Buy a book. Get a cup of coffee. Invite a friend to meet you there. Make supporting a local business part of your routine.
Again, we all have a role in creating the kind of community we say we want -- in creating a future in which our children and grandchildren can create a life here.
What we don't need is the mindset of expecting someone else to decide what's best for Wheeling. That places our future into hands that may have little stake in our daily lives.
Local residents must lead the conversation about what comes next. We know this city's needs, its strengths and the things that make it worth calling home. We should have enough confidence in ourselves to act on that knowledge.
Wood and Uyehara have given us one example of what taking that responsibility looks like. They had an idea, believed in it and followed through.
Now the rest of us have a reason to walk through their door -- and perhaps a little encouragement to pursue an idea of our own.
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It was good to see Wheeling City Council this past week begin the process of drafting legislation to amend the planning and zoning code to consider data centers.
We'll delve into that a little more next week, but council's action Tuesday begins a process that, ultimately, could help define the rules under which data centers must operate.
It also was good to see Mayor Dennis Magruder note these amendments have been in the works for some time.
“I know some folks thought that we weren't working on this, but those folks who have been working on it I think have been doing so for more than three months,” Magruder said. “I think it's a good move in the right direction.”
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Finally, community spirit was fully on display just a few days ago when the Circus Saints and Sinners presented $50,000 to support the Golisano Children's Outpatient Clinic under construction at Wheeling Hospital.
The money came from the proceeds of two years of Party on the Plaza, the festival that brings people together in downtown Wheeling each July. Behind the music and the good time is a commitment to doing something meaningful for children and families here at home.
When we consider community impact, this is a model to follow. Paul Smith and his fellow organizers put the event together. Businesses such as presenting sponsor Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration lend their financial support. People buy tickets and show up. Together, those efforts become an investment in our community's future.
The organization already has fulfilled a $150,000 pledge to the children's hospital in Morgantown. Now, it has committed another $100,000 to the Wheeling clinic.
That continued willingness to step forward deserves our thanks.
John McCabe is editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. He can be reached via email at jmccabe@theintelligencer.net.