|Photo by Joselyn King| Ohio County Commission President Don Nickerson (left) and Commissioner Zach Abraham listen as County Administrator Randy Russell explains the matter to the commission.
Ohio County Commissioners showed their support for development on the 1400 block of Market Street in downtown Wheeling Tuesday night. All they had to do was put the county’s name on an application for a $2 million grant needed to begin work.
Developer Tipping Point asked the commission for assistance with the 1,400-block project by applying for $2,287,484 from the West Virginia Enhancement Grant Funding Program, the final funding component needed for the project, County Administrator Randy Russell told commissioners Tuesday night.
The City of Wheeling initially purchased the properties at 1437, 1433 and 1492 Market Street – including the former Sportsmen’s Club and G&G Bar and Grill buildings – in 2015. The city then worked with the architectural firm Desmone to create the plans for the property, while Tipping Point was selected as the project manager for the work.
The companies have developed a plan that calls for demolishing the buildings and then building a new facility with a cafe, retail stores and outdoor space.
The 1,400-block project is currently being funded by grants from the City of Wheeling, historic tax credits, grants from Wheeling Heritage and a short-term loan from Regional Economic Development (RED) and equity investors, he said.
The budget needed to begin work is $13,199,713, and Tipping Point has raised $10,904,728 in grant funds so far, according to Russell. The county does not have to raise a dollar more for the state grant, and there are no costs to apply other than administrative costs, he continued.
Commissioner Zach Abraham said he met with Tipping Point President Jim Ambrose and Ambrose explained that the grant money was needed to complete the project.
Abraham noted that it reminded him of the commission’s recent partnership with the city of Wheeling and WVU Medicine to demolish the former Ohio Valley Medical Center site to make room for a planned regional cancer center. Both the city and county provided $2 million for the project.
Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to apply for a WVEDA grant to support the Market Street development project.
“I just want to thank all of you for being a part of this,” Ambrose told commissioners. “It’s really a case study in economic development — not just for the city and this county, but for all of West Virginia.”
“The fact that the county is supporting this shows that all levels of government are behind this and can make a difference. I will personally be going to Charleston next week (to promote the grant) and will do my best to be successful and to officially open the project.”
Also Tuesday night, commissioners agreed to apply for a second $10,000 grant from the State Management and Preservation Board to purchase additional shelving to be used to move county archives from the county clerk’s office. Russell said the existing shelving will be reused.
However, he added that the location or locations where the shelves will be installed have not yet been determined.
The commissioners will next meet on September 3 at 6 p.m. at the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St., Wheeling.
