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Demolition of former OVMC set

WHEELING — The former Ohio Valley Medical Center campus buildings are expected to be razed in August, making way for a new WVU Medicine regional cancer center.

Anthony Condia, chief marketing and communications officer at WVU Medicine West Virginia University Health System, said WVU Medicine is working with the city of Wheeling to develop a demolition plan. The work is expected to be bid out in June.

“Various regulatory reviews are also underway with HUD, the State Historic Preservation Office, Indigenous Tribes and various environmental agencies,” Condia said.

The razing will include the complete demolition of all the buildings on the campus, which are bounded by Chapline Street, 20th and 22nd Street and U.S. 250. The closed city garage and connecting catwalk across Chapline Street will also be demolished.

“We’re also coordinating both the retrieval of two time capsules and other items noted by the State Historic Preservation Office and removal of old fuel tanks before demolition starts,” Condia said.

He added the demolition is anticipated to begin in early August. The total demolition cost is predicted to be between $7 million and $9 million, with the City of Wheeling and WVU Medicine sharing the bill. It will be part of a total $70 investment in that piece of land.

“Razing the buildings and preparing the site for the new medical facility will take 14 months,” he said.

Early plans for the new cancer center included medical oncology, radiation oncology and mammography services, a melanoma center, a specialty pharmacy, telemedicine capabilities, multidisciplinary tumor boards and academic research facilities. WVU Medicine is looking at building a four-story facility with between 75,000 and 90,000 square feet of space

The center will house a workforce of about 150 employees and serve about 40,000 patient visits per year. The new cancer center could be opened within five years.

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