Trending
Editor, News-Register:
Imagine two cars of visitors traveling to one of many events in downtown Wheeling. The first travels south on Main Street and immediately encounters construction mayhem: barricades, barrels, rutted streets, missing sidewalks, an abandoned hotel; the barricaded Suspension Bridge. Downhill into the distance, as far as the eye can see, is more of the same, There's no escape. It is an absolute mess.
Those visitors will tell others how bad downtown Wheeling looks: "What a dump!" It looks like a war zone!" "You can barely drive on the streets." All true facts, but they're missing the greatest renaissance Wheeling may ever have.
And it's entirely our fault.
That second car of visitors, also travels Main, seeing exactly what the first car saw. But, these visitors also see beautiful, well designed banners strung all across Main Street. They hang from every utility pole and span every building under renovation or construction. They proudly announce, "Welcome to Wheeling! Here's what were doing!"
One banner would laud the $17 million restoration of the Suspension Bridge. One would hang near the abandoned hotel, saying a multimillion-dollar visitor center will replace it. The smaller banners would say exactly what the front page of the Sunday News-Register printed just a few weeks ago; how many new trees, how many bricks laid, how many miles of utilities replaced, etc. Dollar amounts for any item should be proudly announced.
Everywhere reinvestment is happening, street spanning and pole hanging banners should be erected. For example, among others, Waterfront Hall; new fire and police stations; Columbia Gas veterans center; buildings at 14th and Market; the Wheeling-Pitt Building condos.
These banners should have a unified design and typeface, maybe elements of the new flag of Wheeling. A team of local graphic designers could collaborate so these banners, large and small, will present a colorful, beautifully cohesive narrative of the momentous strides being made in Wheeling.
Imagine, if every visitor saw this message: "Raise your vision and look up! Just above the street level chaos you see right now, we are giving the visitor, the citizen and our businesses, a completely redesigned city. These are the millions we and others are investing in our home and we're thrilled to share it with you."
Don't you think those folks in that second car would be telling a different story when they return to their hometowns? "You can't believe what's going on in Wheeling!" "They are redoing their whole city" "It's amazing!"
By my back of the envelope calculations, including the $223 million spent on the I-70 Bridges Project and adding in current investment in Wheeling, it approaches almost $500 million being spent in Ohio County, primarily Wheeling city proper.
Should we not shout that from every vantage point?
Wheeling is considering how to spend a budget surplus. Money is available for this banner concept including this caveat; this construction is a multi-year process. Over time, weather will fade these banners, leaving them tattered, and dreary. We should plan replacement cycles so they always look as fresh, as new, and as inviting as the brand new city they represent.
Bob Turbanic
Wheeling