Wetzel/Tyler Health Department Looking to Relocate

Cork Bowen shares his thoughts on the health department relocating.
The Wetzel/Tyler Health Department held a public meeting regarding the recent decision to relocate the health department. All Commissioners from both Wetzel and Tyler Counties were in attendance in addition to the members of the Board of Health. Although a specific site for the new building is still under consideration there were four properties discussed during the meeting. The Health Department and County Commission currently are targeting a piece of property, located beside the Methodist Church, in New Martinsville, who is the current owner of the property, for a price of $195,000 for a 2-acre lot.
Ashley Guiler, Director of the Health Department, opened the meeting stating that anyone wishing to speak would be limited to five minutes. She went on to explain how the job of Administrator is a very difficult task because the Wetzel/Tyler Department is one of only three departments in WV that house two or more counties. The other two are Berkeley/Morgan Counties and Mid-Ohio Valley that serves six counties. Any major decisions that the Health Department makes, Ashley must address both sets of Commissions for approval to move forward. She has been aggressively searching both counties for 2 years to find a suitable place to adequately serve the communities. She wrapped up by saying anyone with questions or concerns should please call her or schedule a time to meet.
Paden City residents, fresh off their victorious battle to keep their high school open, signed up to speak to express their opinion concerning the proposed move away from their city.
First up was Mike Turner, a long-time Paden City resident, who was upset and felt the decision to move the health department out of Paden City would be the wrong thing to do. He went on to state the Wetzel/Tyler Health Department does a great job as a key business in Paden City. Their purpose is to serve the combined population in both counties. According to the 2023 census, many elderly and underserved citizens of both counties rely on the important services provided by the department. As stated by Mr. Turner, moving this business out of Paden City will lead to a loss of population which will contribute to a loss of taxes and jobs. He believes now is the time Paden City should be growing instead of losing businesses. He also stated moving this business will make it difficult for part of the population to utilize the proposed new facility. Turner felt a decision to move the business out of Paden City should have been better communicated instead of just deciding to move.
Next up to speak was Cork Bowen of the Paden City Development Authority. Mr. Bowen opened by thanking the two County Commissions for funding a new roof over the current building that houses the Health Department stating it will be installed in about a month. Bowen went on to say that the current location is still a central and valuable location for residents. Mr. Bowen’s idea is to renovate the current building vs building a new facility. An example was the recent renovation of the new WVU Clinic that restored the facility and now houses doctor offices and a clinic at a cost of $375,000. He went on to say that if you want to build something nice and shiny there are plenty of lots available in Paden City. The PCDA has access to three lots at the corner of Route 2 and East Main Street (Pineapple Park) which is about 25,000 square feet of property that is for sale and available. Mr. Bowen would like that location considered as an alternative location. Based on discussions with architects to build a new facility of 5,000 square feet would cost in the range of 3 to 4 million dollars. The PCDA has the know-how and ability to renovate the current building. Mr. Bowen stated he has not seen anything written or set in stone that the new facility will be built in New Martinsville, however, he knows that both County Commissions have pledged money for the new facility. He asked that the Health Department and County Commissions consider two options: purchase land in Paden City for the new building or renovate the current building.
Tyler County Commissioner Mike Smith explained to the audience that when they began their search, their goal was to explore different properties. One possible property was at the intersection of Route 2 and 180, but it was not for sale. The other was in the north end of Paden City but was also unavailable. They then looked at the Barker Building and received a delayed response from the current owner on selling it. Another piece of property explored was the old dialysis center, which the Wetzel County Commission owns the property, but Wheeling Hospital owns the building. However, there are hazardous materials on the property that would have to be removed, an underground spring that runs through the lot, and the cost to raze the building makes it very difficult and costly to pursue. It was only after these efforts did not materialize that the Methodist Church in New Martinsville offered their piece of property.
Cork Bowen then added that the empty lots at the corner of Route 2 and East Main Street in Paden City were ready to go with water, sewage and utilities in place and could be purchased for less than $200,000. Also, making the property attractive is the new construction of the Dollar Store Market on the current Dollar Store site that is opposite the available lots.
The biggest question that needs to be answered is who is going to own the building. Will it be the Wetzel County Commission, the Tyler County Commission or joint ownership? The Wetzel/Tyler Health Department is also a candidate for ownership. A request to reach out to the Attorney General’s office was made by the Wetzel County Commission to assess how to move forward with ownership of the property and building.
In summary, there are several important questions that need answered before the final site plan is determined. Once ownership is decided, more investigation can be conducted on the sites under consideration which are the Methodist Church property in New Martinsville, the corner lots at Route 2 and East Main Street in Paden City, and renovation of the current building.