WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital makes demo decision

A historic place of healing in the Ohio Valley is on its way to rebirth and redevelopment as WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital has officially chosen a contractor to begin demolition of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center facility. F.R. Beinke Wrecking, Inc (FRB), out of Swedesboro, NJ, won the contract with a budget friendly bid of approximately $6.8 million. FRB is a full service, union demolition contractor with over 100 million square feet of safe and successful demolition projects under their belt.

Wheeling Hospital is proud and grateful to break ground on what will be a nearly $90 million investment into a state-of-the-art cancer center. John Pastorius, VP of Support Services for Wheeling Hospital, and Bruce Knepper and Ling Almoubayyed, Project Architects for The SmithGroup, lead the charge on interviewing and surveying potential demolition companies. “With great confidence in their capabilities and expertise, we are eager to commence work on the agreed-upon terms and look forward to achieving successful outcomes together.”, Almoubayyed said. Similarly, Pastorius is no stranger to large projects and investments. “I look forward to our partnership with F.R. Beinke on this project.”, Pastorius says. “In addition to numerous letters of community support, they have shown their commitment to the details and complexity of this project with the number of hours spent on-site in preparation of their bid. I am confident after our in-depth scope review that they have a well-planned method for successful and timely completion.” he continues.

Wheeling Hospital CEO, Douglass Harrison, is aware of what this project means to the Ohio Valley, and the legacy the property has. “We look forward to continuing this site as a place of healing long into the future” says Mr. Harrison. “The new regional cancer center will transform cancer care in our area so that our community has the most advanced cancer care available”.

Demolition is expected to begin in early August of this year and will take approximately 14 months to complete.