Let us pray that we all may work together for the betterment of our city, respecting each other's perspectives and striving for fairness.

Let us seek wisdom and understanding as we make decisions that will impact all residents.

Let us pray for our city to have compassion and unity for our well beings.

Amen.

Amen.

I forgot allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

We now call the Willing City Council meeting of May 19, 2026 to order.

And we would ask the clerk to please call the roll.

Mr.

Asario?

Here.

Ms.

Kane here.

Mayor McGruder?

Here.

Mr.

Palmer?

Mr.

Seidler.

Mr.

Slavonakis.

Mr.

Thorngate.

Quorum is present.

Thank you.

We have the meeting minutes from May 5 of 2026 in front of us.

Is there a motion to accept those as received?

So any discussion, changes, additions.

Hearing none of that, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

All those opposed.

And that the motions approved.

We will uh receive the minutes as as we seen.

Uh mayor's report tonight.

I got a couple things.

I just want to take a minute to congratulate our wheelie nailers.

What a spectacular series they just completed last night with a very thrilling win at West Banco Arena.

So we're on the way to a Kelly Cup, folks, we hope.

Just so that you know, they will play again at home on Wednesday, May 27th, Friday, May 29.

And if we don't win the first four, we'll have to play Saturday on May 30 as well.

So no, there will probably be likely three three more games of wheeling.

That's the other thing I'd like to congratulate the fans, the audience.

There was a tremendous crowd last night.

There's been good attendance throughout the series.

It does make a difference.

So thank you.

And if you see uh anybody in the organization, give them your best.

And I also want to recognize our friends at West Bank Arena.

Magnificent job they've been doing.

They had six different events and six nights that they had to change from ice to uh different events to football to banquets back and forth.

So they did an amazing job.

I just want to make sure that we take a minute to recognize them.

Uh, the only other thing that I have, I want to wish all the citizens on behalf of council a very uh healthy and safe memorial day.

Uh that completes the mayor's report for this evening.

Uh at this point we have the clerk's report.

There's no clerk's report.

Unfinished business.

An ordinance authorizing the city manager to expend funds.

Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry, I do think there needs to be a motion to allow.

Oh no, I do need to have a an ordinance authorizing the city manager to expend funds in the amount of 104,800 with edge co of Lansing Ohio for abatement and demolition contract 10 to be charged a general fund and to be reimbursed by West Virginia ELAB grants.

I would ask for a motion uh to leave the regular agenda so that one of the persons who have signed up to speak regarding this issue may speak.

Their motion.

I'll make that motion.

Any discussion?

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Okay, and then uh we're gonna ask Mr.

Kirby Pringle, please to approach.

Mr.

Pringle, please give us your name, address, and you have three minutes to address council.

Kirby Bringle, 104 14th Street.

Uh, I am uh concerned about uh demolition.

Uh since I've lived here, I've seen a lot of amazing buildings demolished for for uh not for structural issues, but for uh I'm not even sure what so I have questions.

Uh I don't know if I have time to ask you as to who's making these uh decisions on what's being uh uh destroyed, demolished.

Who who what what is the criteria?

This is not we don't normally respond.

We only take comments okay.

Okay, well, in that case, I would like to ask uh that buildings that are 50 years old or at least 50 years old.

Uh if they're exceptional, uh, with uh cultural uh historic or uh uh architectural uh uh importance, uh, that they are considered.

Um again.

Uh it it doesn't seem that there's a historian that's uh working with you on some of these buildings.

Uh I looked at some of those on your list, 39-11, McCullough, and uh 1121, uh don't seem to have major structural damage at all and to be torn down.

No one's gonna build anything in those spots.

For that reason, I would I would ask that you require uh an EIR that is uh environmental impact report or a historic structures report.

Otherwise, you're gonna have design by developer, and that is a nightmare.

Nobody wants that.

Nobody that you want in this town should want such a thing.

Uh having said that.

Um it seems like you're instituting a kind of uh uh urban development, or perhaps you could say uh using HUD grants to for property acquisition, which I assume that's what you talked about in the chamber.

Uh and I don't think that works for wheeling at all.

I think it's absolutely disastrous as a policy.

And I would, and I'm imploring you to work with a an uh an historian, an actual historian, uh, not a resident of the city who knows a little bit about but an actual historian, so that you can have uh uh actual guidelines in your planning uh to make this the Appalachian's most historic city.

You're sitting on a gold mine, you just don't know it.

And by tearing down these buildings, putting in these treatment centers or the uh deferring to the homeless industrial complex or developers, it is creating a disaster for the residents here.

Somebody's making money, but it's it's creating uh unlivable situation for many people.

Uh and so we're very frustrated.

There's a large group of people that are frustrated here.

So before you make your vote, uh I'd ask you to consider uh again uh environmental impact report, which I'm asking for uh historic structures report.

Okay, thank you very much.

Thank you.

A motion to refer to the regular agenda.

I think that's a second.

Any discussion?

All the favors, aye.

So we'll last the court, please do to read that one more time.

An ordinance authorizing the city manager to expend funds in the amount of 104,800 with edge co of Lansing, Ohio for abatement and demolition contract 10 to be charged to the general fund and to be reimbursed by West Virginia D Lab Grant.

Make a motion to adopt the ordinance.

I would second discussion.

Just very briefly, uh how many um buildings does this cover the contract in?

Do you know off the top of your head?

Uh yeah.

It is 10.

Yeah, 10.

And I might ask Mr.

Heron if you would just explain to us that this is some supplemental BLAM money that has a final time frame.

Right.

It does.

Um, so uh I was gonna mention in my report that um the state did uh reach out to us this week and it's not final yet.

The funding will be in place, but it's highly likely that they won't be able to fund this entire contract.

Um, but the the buildings that go on the demolition list, as you know, um go through a very rigorous uh process of evaluation by our building department, um, and are in at a point of um not being deteriorated to the point where they can't be rehabilitated or put in back into productive use.

So you know, this this list of uh properties is no uh no different than any other list that's been presented to city council.

And we do have historic landmarks that reviews properties also that's correct, including structure, historic dentistry after the right landmarks before you compare it.

That's correct.

See, BJ wants to please do.

I want that at the ISC recognition off it because it is specifically things are handled in half, but this one doesn't have seen.

Thank you.

Any other questions or discussion?

Hearing on, I'd ask you please to record your votes.

That motion's approved.

That concludes unfinished business.

Thank you.

Remarks from council members, and tonight I'm gonna ask Council.

Oh, yeah, okay.

We have yeah, thank you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Uh, we've got the building uh the building zoning commission uh minutes from February 19, 2026 that have been held over.

Is there a motion to accept those as received?

I'll move to accept held over minutes that's received.

I'll second.

Any discussion?

All those in favor signal by saying aye.

Aye.

Those opposed, and those minutes will be uh received as as printed.

Uh at this point we go to the council member remarks, and I'm gonna ask Counselor Kane, please to begin this evening.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone on the willing area chamber of commerce leadership um for them volunteering to clean up downtown Willing.

You did a wonderful job.

Um also um there's a lot of appreciation for the paving on South Entable Street.

It's been long overdue.

And also I've had a lot of complaints regarding 29th Street paving.

That is West Virginia DOH.

Um they have no plans of paving the bottom half.

They said that they paved the upper half four years ago.

They may come in and fill some potholes or do some patching.

Um, but that is out of our hands.

Um, but you're more than welcome to call them and complain.

So that's it, and have a great weekend.

Thank you.

I would just like to reiterate what the mayor said earlier about the nailers.

You know, we're we're in the Eastern Conference Finals.

We haven't been there for quite some time, so any support that we as a community can give to the nailers would be greatly appreciated.

I know that the players enjoy seeing us there and having a full arena.

And I gotta tell you, for a Monday night last night was an exciting.

I mean, it was like a big city environment.

It was great, and I know the players enjoy that.

You know, the team that we're playing against, Florida's had a lot of success the last few years.

Um, I don't know what the betting public says, but you know, I think that we all really need to rally around the nailers.

This is a wonderful community opportunity.

Uh and the second thing I'd like to talk about is the Great Woodsdale Yard Sales coming up on June 6th.

It's gonna happen from eight in the morning until 1 p.m.

It's gonna be in between West Virginia Route 88, Ethne Pike, all the way out to High School Avenue, and it's gonna include Edgewood Street, Walnut, Poplar, and Maple Avenues.

If you have any questions, there's a Facebook um site for the Great Woodsdale Yard Sale that you can look at.

It also allows you to participate.

Last year we had over third, we had about 35 homes participate.

This year we only have 25 signed up.

So if you want to participate in the Great Woodsdale Yard Sale, please go to their Facebook website and sign up.

So I have enjoy your weekends.

Thank you.

Councilor Palmer.

Yes, thank you.

Tomorrow evening at 5 30 at Young Grove Civics, it'll be the ward six crime watch.

And also want to remind everybody it's all a good weekend.

So just adjust your travel schedules accordingly.

Correct.

I am correct.

So make sure you uh just your travel schedules accordingly and and uh cheer on some of the runners.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilor Sarrow.

I have nothing this week.

Thank you.

Uh at this point, then we'll go to the report of the city manager, Mr.

Heron.

Thank you, Mayor.

The uh Clay School uh environmental remediation demolition project is moving forward.

It appears as though it's it's a lot further along than 50% because the vast majority of the building is down, but it is 50% completed.

They are uh working on the basement and the sub-basement, um, uh recycling the steel off the site, and then there's restoration that follows that.

But uh that project has gone very well, uh, and it is about 50 percent complete.

Um the Glenwood Road slip project that council approved a couple of weeks ago has been completed.

Uh we do anticipate the Glenwood Road, the portion that was under construction will be paved next week.

So uh I know there's been some issues with uh buses up there, but uh that uh work will be completed uh at the end of next week.

And then the streetscape project, as uh Mrs.

Kane uh mentioned, uh, is uh in the paving stages of this end of the project.

Uh there's still uh some uh work being done on sidewalks and curb.

Um, but some of the work you're seeing, for example, is there's some uh work that's being redone on Main Street.

Those are uh issues where the contractor and the state are circling back and going through punch list items that uh may or may not have been done correctly or or uh may have uh had a problem uh during construction.

So that's being done, and then uh the landscaping portion of the project, as everybody knows, uh the city assumed uh the main street portion of the project uh last May.

We will be uh walking uh the uh market 14th, 16th, 10th, and 12th street portion of the project next week uh for uh that being turned over to uh the city, uh the the uh landscaping and uh plant material park.

There are some issues with that.

We have uh brought those to the state's attention, so we'll be honing in on those over the next couple of weeks prior to acceptance of that landscaping.

The rest of it, which is 16th Street, uh Chaplin and Oaf, um, that is still uh not completed and is still at least a year away from being turned over to the city, but we will be focusing on the bioswales and the landscape or the uh the landscaping portion of the project on a market in the cross streets in the in the coming uh two weeks.

That's my thank you, Mr.

Harris.

Any questions from council?

Yes, uh the bioswales um or falling animal and um the vehicle that went into it the other day.

Is there any plan um from the state to maybe put up some little fences or something that may prevent this?

Um no, there are not.

Um, you know, the bioswales, and I I've mentioned this uh a number of times, is that the streetscape project is is as much a stormwater management project as it is anything.

Um and the bioswales are there for a reason, they're in their storm stormwater management is the reason.

Um if you recall when the health plan was built, that building could not have been built but for the city constructing a separated storm sewer line up Main Street.

That was a million-dollar expense at the time.

And part of this project uh in the early stages, which was probably the most disruptive part of it, was the storm sewer that was constructed from West Banco Arena's parking lot up 16th Street and then all the way up Market Street, and then the bioswales are tied into that storm sewer uh on Market Street as they are tied into the city storm sewer on Main Street, and you can't construct the building uh and comply with stormwater management guidelines, which are federal guidelines if you don't have stormwater management or a place to discharge stormwater.

We had to do the same thing with um, or we not the same thing.

We had to deal with stormwater discharge on the market street parking structure.

We had to store it and store it on site, much smaller than what we would have had to um do otherwise, and then discharge it into a storm sewer.

We are not permitted to distort discharge new stormwater into a combined sewer.

And prior to the streetscape project, the the sewers and downtown wheeling were combined, and therefore thus the the need for the storm sewer for the health plan project.

So the bioswales are there for a reason.

Um, and there the depth of them is there for a reason.

There were calculations done on stormwater management for the depth of those.

Um, and you know, there are known, you know, you can see them, you know they're there.

Um, and the fact that somebody drove up over the curb and into one of them is is gonna is just unfortunate.

Um, and you know, unfortunately, uh hopefully it doesn't happen again, but I'm pretty sure it probably will.

So we're getting lacking in the not yet because it's still under construction.

I think it would work all past.

Okay.

I mean, we see parked cars get hit over there on South Street, it wouldn't be surprising for accidents to happen in the bio tool.

And you know, as far as um fencing around them, um, you know, that was never in the game plan, but if you go down to Heritage Port, you know, you're permitted to walk the river and fall into the river.

It's not it's not a either.

There's no.

Any other questions?

As an example.

Thank you, Mr.

Heron.

Uh we'll move then to the report of other officers.

We do have the Hall of Fame board minutes from April 14th of 2026.

Is there a motion to hold those over?

Take that motion.

Second.

Any discussion?

All those in favor signal by saying aye.

Aye.

And those opposed, and we'll hold those minutes over.

Petition of redress or grievance.

There are none.

Petitions of all other kinds.

There are none.

Original propositions.

An ordinance of the council of the city of Wheeling to create a four-way stop at the intersection of 18th and Wood Street, an ordinance authorizing the city manager to expend funds in the amount of 66,000 with Wheeling Symphony of Wheeling, West Virginia for City Sheriff Firework Display, $25,000 to be charged to city manager, $31,000 charged to Cole Severance, and $10,000 to the general fund.

A resolution of the Council of the City of Wheeling approving the fiscal year 2026 Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership Programs and authorizing the filing of the fiscal year 2026 annual action plan with the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

I would move to adopt the resolution.

I second.

Is there any discussion?

Hearing none, I'd ask you to please record your vote.

That resolution is approved.

And that concludes original propositions.

Thank you.

At this point, we have uh those wishing to be heard.

We do have a few folks here.

I would ask uh Aiden Causey to please approach the podium.

Give us your name and address, Aiden, and three