Facility Improvement and Endowment

As both Wheeling Park and Oglebay Park have matured over the years, many structures have been either replaced or added to the parks' building total of 145. Due to the effect of use and age, it is important to maintain these structures and to restore them to their original quality and design. Following are some of the categories of buildings in the parks.

Buildings and Structures in the Parks:

Recreation Buildings

Cottages

Shelters

Maintenance Buildings

Youth Camps

Lodging and Meeting Facilities

Historic Waddington Farm Buildings

Freestanding Restroom Facilities

An amazing amount of specialized equipment and vehicles is necessary to maintain the quiet beauty of Oglebay and Wheeling Park. There are over 100 vehicles in the parks used for maintenance. These include pickup trucks, tractors, dump trucks, trains, mowing machines, vans, wagons, trailers, bucket trucks, garbage trucks, compressors, a chipper, high lift, ditcher, welder, ice groomer, backhoe, treespade and a bus. In addition to this group, there is a vast array of other equipment and tools, plus lawn mowers and 250 golf carts.

Substantial funds are spent annually for upkeep and maintenance of grounds, structures and equipment. In addition to these funds, several million dollars are needed annually to cover the expenses of labor and supplies used to maintain the open areas, golf courses and recreational facilities. The grounds, buildings, equipment, recreation facilities, landscaping and improvements in Oglebay and Wheeling Park have a value approaching 170 million. Maintenance of the grounds and structures continues to increase. The burden of these costs have risen to a point where revenues from income-producing sources in the parks can no longer fully support these requirements.

As guests and visitors stroll through the beauty of our parks, they notice the many donors whose names appear on buildings, structures and landscaping improvements. This tradition of giving has allowed the parks to grow and prosper for over 75 years.

The purpose of the Campaign for the Future of Our Parks is to create an endowment fund capable of ensuring quality facilities will continue to serve Ohio Valley residents for years to come. There are currently many unnamed facilities within the parks system today. Revenue from the naming of these buildings and venues should result in creating adequate endowment funds to insure their future maintenance or upkeep. These opportunities can range from park benches, and furniture to recreational facilities and buildings.

Now in Progress