Wheeling Eyes Summer Opening for New Fire Department Headquarters
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WHEELING -- Work at the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters in East Wheeling is full steam ahead, and city leaders hope to have the new $9 million facility open and operational by early summer.
Great Lakes Contracting is spearheading the effort to finish the job along 17th and Wood streets. Great Lakes was selected by a surety company as the new general contractor after the original contractor -- &build, a PCS Company -- filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy early last year, bringing work at the site to a halt.
Since taking over at the job site late last year, the new general contractor and subcontractors have been making great strides on the project to bring a 26,860-square-foot, state-of-the-art first responder facility to the city.
"The fire headquarters project is moving along -- it's progressing very nicely," Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron reported to members of city council. "We're several weeks away - or a few months away - from completion. Part of that is some outside work -- such as concrete aprons and underground storage of stormwater -- have to wait until weather is conducive."
Work at the site remained indoors for the most part through much of January, which was unusually cold and wintry. Herron noted that the slightly warmer stretch of weather this month has allowed some of the work to move back outdoors.
"We've had a pretty rough winter thus far," Herron noted. "Some of that outside work, because of the mild weather, is being done now. I do want to report that it is moving along, and we're very excited about the possibility of being in that building sometime in late spring or early summer."
The city manager noted that some purchases for the new headquarters would be appearing on council agendas as work at the facility is being completed. This past week, new ordinances were introduced before Wheeling City Council for the purchase of air systems and fire gear totaling nearly $120,000 for the new headquarters.
"We're in the process of starting to order some things that will go into the building," Herron said. "We currently have all of the firefighters' lockers stored at the Armory. The furniture for the building is in storage in Pittsburgh. We're getting ready to order the beds necessary for the facility."
Ground was broken on the new facility back in August of 2022. Initially, work moved along at a swift pace, with the foundation put in place and prefabricated concrete walls erected before work issues began to arise when subcontractors walked off the site because of payment issues involving &build. Eventually the general contractor - which was also working on the construction of the new Moundsville City Building and other area projects - filed for bankruptcy.
Formerly housed in the lower level of the old Center Market Parking Garage, the previous fire headquarters had to relocate to a temporary location in the former U.S. Army Reserve Center or Armory building in Clator. The parking garage has since been demolished, and several fire officials and fire equipment had to relocate to the Armory and other fire stations in town while awaiting the completion of the new building.
The city is using money generated by the City Service Fee to fund the construction of the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters.
Several different completion dates have come and gone over the past two years, but with the new general contractor on board, it appears that the long-awaited project will be completed in the months ahead.
"It is coming along, and we're excited about the progress that's been made," Herron said. "The quality of the work has been very good. Hopefully by sometime early this summer, our firefighters will be housed in that facility."