OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wheeling City Council Meeting – July 15, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, July 15, 2025
BodyWheeling, West Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:37

We now call the Wheeling City Council meeting of July 15, 2025 to order, please, and we would ask the clerk to call the roll.

0:45

Mr.

0:46

Asero.

0:47

Here.

0:47

Ms.

0:47

Kane?

0:48

Here.

0:48

Mayor McGruder?

0:49

Here.

0:50

Mr.

0:50

Palmer.

0:50

Here.

0:51

Mr.

0:51

Seidler.

0:52

Here.

0:52

Mr.

0:52

Slavonakis.

0:53

Here.

0:54

Mr.

0:54

Thorngate.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Forum is present.

0:56

Thank you.

0:57

We have the minutes of July 1, 2025 on the desk.

1:00

Is there a motion?

1:01

So moved.

1:02

Second.

1:02

Any changes, uh additions, discussion.

1:06

Hearing none, I ask everybody in favor to sing invite by saying aye.

1:09

Aye.

1:09

All those opposed.

1:11

And that motion's approved.

1:13

Approved.

1:15

At this point, is there a motion?

1:16

We do have a combined waterworks and sewerage system bond on the table.

1:20

And we have a motion maybe to uh conduct the uh public hearing.

1:25

May or I would move to leave the regular order of business, conduct a public hearing regarding the uh combined waterworks and sewage system bond.

1:33

A second.

1:37

Hearing none, we'll then go into a public hearing.

1:40

Uh we have uh uh had the sign-up sheet out here.

1:43

No one has signed up to speak to address this issue, so I would ask that there's a motion to return to regular session.

1:49

I'll make that motion, second.

1:51

Any discussion?

1:52

Hearing none, we'll then return to regular session.

1:55

Next item on the agenda is the mayor's report, and we do have a proclamation in front of us tonight that I'd like to read, please.

2:02

Whereas Dr.

2:03

Ellen Kitts is retiring on July 18, 2025, after 37 years as a medical director of the nonprofit Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center, Inc.

2:12

in Wheeling, West Virginia, and whereas Dr.

2:15

Kitts earned her bachelor's degree from Ball State University, her medical degree from Indiana University, and did her pediatric residency at Methodist Hospital in India, Indianapolis, and her uh excuse me, and her physical medicine and rehabilitation uh residency at Ohio State University.

2:37

Whereas, after traveling to see patients at Easter Seals in Wheeling monthly for four years, while completing her fellowship as a DT Watson Rehabilitation Hospital in Suwickley, Pennsylvania, Dr.

2:49

Kitts was then offered the new full-time medical director position at Easter Seals by the executive director, Rosemary Front.

2:56

And whereas, as Dr.

2:58

Kitts started on July 18, 1988, and became an immediate asset to Wheeling and the surrounding communities, given not only her unique specialty treating patients with physical disabilities, but also her remarkable manner of treating her patients by taking her time with them, listening carefully to them and their family members, and always working to find the best ways to help them live their lives to the fullest.

3:24

And whereas when Dr.

3:26

Kitts patients aged out, she expanded the scope of her pay of her practice to include them as adults.

3:33

Similarly, when patients began present began presenting with more than just physical and developmental disabilities, i.e., when she started seeing more patients with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, she adapted her practice to effectively treat them, thereby responding to the community's needs.

3:54

And whereas Dr.

3:55

Kitts continued to direct the Easter Seals equine therapy program, ride with pride for decades, giving children with disabilities the opportunity to grow stronger and develop physically and socially in ways they couldn't otherwise.

4:10

And whereas Dr.

4:11

Kitts has become synonymous with Easter seals and her patients and their families will benefit from her expertise, attention to detail, and willingness to go that extra mile for years to come.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████████30%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Arts And Culture████████8%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Wheeling City Council Meeting – July 15, 2025

The Wheeling City Council met on July 15, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. (municipal building) to address a range of routine and substantive items, including approval of minutes, a public hearing on a water/sewer bond, several ordinances for emergency repairs and infrastructure projects, budget revisions, and a public comment period. The meeting also featured a mayoral proclamation honoring Dr. Ellen Kitts’ 37 years of service.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of July 1, 2025 – Approved unanimously.
  • Recreation Committee Minutes (March 20, 2025) – Held over from a previous meeting and approved.
  • Reporting Committee Minutes (July 1, 2025) – Approved as received.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Diane Wells – Addressed the council on an unspecified topic; the transcript is partially garbled but references “completely free,” “donation based,” “soft insurance,” and “issues added up since 2000.” She also mentioned working with law enforcement. No clear position or request could be ascertained from the recording.

Discussion Items

  • Public Hearing on Combined Waterworks and Sewerage System Bond – No members of the public signed up to speak; the hearing was opened and closed without testimony.
  • Mayor’s Report – Mayor McGruder read a proclamation honoring Dr. Ellen Kitts, retiring July 18, 2025, after 37 years as medical director of Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center. The mayor also acknowledged the Wheeling Symphony's July 4th concert and the “Party on the Plaza” event sponsored by Saints and Centers.
  • City Manager’s Streetscape Update – Paving on Market Street and cross streets (10th, 12th, 14th) is scheduled to begin July 28, 2025, with full-depth repairs of trench lines and manholes. The work is expected to take 3–4 weeks (weather permitting). 16th Street, Chaplin Street, and Off Street will be paved later in the fall. Semper Fi paving is 63% complete; pickleball courts in Elm Grove have been paved. A CDBG contract (~$200,000) will be executed in August.
  • Water and Sewer Capital Projects – City Manager Heron presented a list of proposed projects: approximately $20 million for water projects and $45.9 million for wastewater projects (including treatment plant upgrades, digester cleaning/repair, centrifuge replacement, and associated engineering). The bond anticipation note (up to $6 million) approved earlier in the meeting will fund the initial three urgent projects.
  • Flood Debris Cleanup – Councilor Palmer asked about responsibility for debris removal from the July flood. Heron responded that costs are expected to be covered by the state emergency management agency and FEMA, and that estimates have been included in FEMA applications. Councilor Seidler inquired about shipping containers along creek banks; Heron noted most came from outside city limits (Tridelphia facility) and that the city will investigate any that may be within city limits.
  • Streetscape Maintenance – A councilor asked about cleaning of tree wells in the streetscape project. Heron replied that the city has hired a private contractor to weed twice per month.
  • Remarks from Council – Councilor Seidler thanked Ohio Valley Mutual Aid for ongoing flood relief efforts and also praised Mayor McGruder for his role as conductor at the symphony concert.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Ordinances:
    • Combined Waterworks and Sewerage System Bond Anticipation Note (Series 2025) – Authorizes up to $6 million for design, acquisition, and construction of sewer improvements; temporary financing; and tax certificate execution. Approved with voice vote.
    • Emergency interceptor repair with Edchco Inc. of Lansing, Ohio for $16,000 (WPCD account).
    • Emergency pavement repair on Monroe Avenue with Caston Baker Corporation of Cannonsburg, PA for $35,499 (water department).
    • Duquesne Avenue and Valley View Avenue Sanitary Sewer Extension with James Waite Construction Company for $48,350 (ARPA funds).
    • Evidence collection equipment with Foster and Freeman for $40,642.56 (2024 JAG grant).
  • Approved Resolutions:
    • Fiscal Year 2025–2026 Coal Severance Budget Revision.
    • Fiscal Year 2025–2026 General Fund Budget Revision (noted for employee pay increases and revival of the Economic Community Development Specialist position).
    • Date change of the August 5, 2025, council meeting to August 12, 2025.
  • Held Over: Traffic Commission Minutes from April 10, 2025, were held over without action.
  • Other Actions: Roll call showed all members present. The clerk’s report noted a private club application for Diane’s Restaurant & Lounge at 135 Virginia Street (no action required at this meeting).

Meeting Transcript

We now call the Wheeling City Council meeting of July 15, 2025 to order, please, and we would ask the clerk to call the roll. Mr. Asero. Here. Ms. Kane? Here. Mayor McGruder? Here. Mr. Palmer. Here. Mr. Seidler. Here. Mr. Slavonakis. Here. Mr. Thorngate. Here. Forum is present. Thank you. We have the minutes of July 1, 2025 on the desk. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Any changes, uh additions, discussion. Hearing none, I ask everybody in favor to sing invite by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed. And that motion's approved. Approved. At this point, is there a motion? We do have a combined waterworks and sewerage system bond on the table. And we have a motion maybe to uh conduct the uh public hearing. May or I would move to leave the regular order of business, conduct a public hearing regarding the uh combined waterworks and sewage system bond. A second. Hearing none, we'll then go into a public hearing. Uh we have uh uh had the sign-up sheet out here. No one has signed up to speak to address this issue, so I would ask that there's a motion to return to regular session. I'll make that motion, second. Any discussion? Hearing none, we'll then return to regular session. Next item on the agenda is the mayor's report, and we do have a proclamation in front of us tonight that I'd like to read, please. Whereas Dr. Ellen Kitts is retiring on July 18, 2025, after 37 years as a medical director of the nonprofit Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center, Inc. in Wheeling, West Virginia, and whereas Dr. Kitts earned her bachelor's degree from Ball State University, her medical degree from Indiana University, and did her pediatric residency at Methodist Hospital in India, Indianapolis, and her uh excuse me, and her physical medicine and rehabilitation uh residency at Ohio State University. Whereas, after traveling to see patients at Easter Seals in Wheeling monthly for four years, while completing her fellowship as a DT Watson Rehabilitation Hospital in Suwickley, Pennsylvania, Dr.

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