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Wheeling set to move on OVMC acquisition

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY — Wheeling City Council is prepared to move forward with the purchase of facilities on the campus of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center, pictured. The facilites’ owner, Alecto Healthcare, shuttered the financially troubled hospital in September. -- File photo

WHEELING — Members of Wheeling City Council are moving forward with the purchase of the facilities on the campus of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center.

Legislation is being introduced this week to authorize Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron to negotiate and execute a purchase agreement with Medical Properties Trust of Wheeling-Alecto LLC for the purchase of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center hospital and Valley Professional Center medical office building.

The ordinance is scheduled to be introduced during today’s meeting of Wheeling City Council. The meeting will take place virtually online beginning at noon, and can be viewed live on the city’s official Facebook page.

Last month, council authorized the city manager to negotiate and enter into a letter of intent with MPT for the option to purchase the property. The buildings on the OVMC campus have remained almost completely vacant since the hospital ceased operations in September. According to a draft of the proposed purchase and sale agreement between MPT and the city, there is one lease currently in effect at the site.

The ground floor and first floor of the building at 2121 Eoff St. is currently being leased by Northwood Health System, and if the acquisition is executed, the city is expected to take over that lease.

After the letter of intent was initiated, all members of city council took tours of the properties in April ahead of making a formal decision on the proposed acquisition.

City leaders have said MPT had expressed interest in transferring ownership of all of the buildings on the campus to the city, with the exception of the former Robert C. Byrd Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center on Eoff Street. The city had already been in talks with MPT about the possible purchase of the Valley Professional Center, which has been considered an option for the city to repurpose into a new Public Safety Building for its police and fire department headquarters.

Acquiring the property would allow the city to take the reins on a future use of the facilities, which otherwise could remain vacant for many years, officials indicated. City leaders said liability issues would have to be considered before taking ownership of such a huge piece of property, but noted that there was great value in the property, and MPT was willing to transfer ownership for basically the cost of any outstanding taxes and the closing expenses.

According to the proposed purchase agreement, closing costs were not to exceed $35,000, and a proposed closing date for the transaction was June 30. City officials have said an initial assessment of the property valued it at around $40 million.

City leaders indicated they intended to market the buildings to future private sector investors and envisioned potential uses such as office space, a business incubator location or other types of medical or health care facilities. Officials stressed that they did not intend to have the city maintain ownership of the properties for an extended period of time.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions on public gatherings, all meetings of Wheeling City Council are expected to continue taking place online until further notice. For anyone wishing to make public comment under the closing section “Those Wishing to be Heard” on the agenda, members of the public may call (304) 551-2151 at any time up to 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the council meeting to provide the city clerk with contact information. Those scheduled to be on the agenda for public comment will be able to take part in a three-minute comment period.

Also on today’s agenda, council members are expected to hear the first reading of legislation to approve replacement pages for 2020 in the city’s codified ordinances to include amendments needed to conform with any changes in state laws. Council also is expected to hear a first reading on a zone change for the former Mt. Carmel Seminary, where developers are planning to repurpose the property into a boutique hotel, restaurant, lounge and events venue.

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