Wood County Society moving downtown

PARKERSBURG -- The Wood County Society is moving to downtown Parkersburg, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The society has purchased the properties at 811 Lodge Court near Market and Eighth streets across from BB&T, Executive Director Brandon Gress said.

Wood County Society, incorporated in 1958, offers programs and resources for people with disabilities in the Mid-Ohio Valley, such as Camp ECHO, Summer Speech, Adapted Aquatics, the MOV Post-Polio Support Group and sign language instruction, among others. It will continue to serve residents in Wood, Ritchie, Wirt, Calhoun, Roane, Jackson, Pleasants, Tyler, Washington and Athens counties.

Gress said the society will be relocating its offices at 1411 Grand Central Ave. in Vienna at the end of June to Parkersburg and be fully operational by the end of the summer.

"We are very excited about the ability to host our very own programs, develop new ideas and listen to community needs," Gress said. "Our new location will provide space and increased accommodation and accessibility for our current programs and the newest program, the Artbeat Project, an open art studio for individuals of all ages and abilities."

The investment also impacts the expansion of the Mid-Ohio Valley Autism Network, Gress said.

"Wood County Society and Marshall University Autism Training Center has collaborated in the past to bring awareness and education to the community. We have developed a future collaboration to bring services to families impacted by autism to the Mid-Ohio Valley including social groups, positive behavior support and family services," Gress said. "This is a tremendous asset to the Mid-Ohio Valley region, and we are excited about the future growth, expansion and accessibility."

With the transaction closing in March, the sale included the building and adjacent parking lot for $200,000, according to records at the Wood County Clerk's Office. The property was purchased from the trustees of the Sanctuary of Hope, which purchased the properties from the Nemesis Shriners in 2010.

The most important aspect is the investment made by the society's board of directors in the 1950s made the expansion possible, he said. The purchase did not involve the expenditure of local funds that were raised for programs, Gress said.

"When we think of longevity and impact in our community, we must look at the value (of) the programs and resources we have in the region and align our mission with needs of the community that we serve," he said in a press release. "All of the money raised at the Wood County Society Annual Telethon stays right here in the Mid-Ohio Valley and is utilized solely for programmatic growth and expansion. This investment and purchase of property is from the original charter of the organization and the community from the 1950s-1960s."

Mayor Tom Joyce welcomed Wood County Society to downtown Parkersburg.

"Hopefully they are as excited about it as we are," he said.

It's good to have more people in downtown to shop, eat and conduct business, Joyce said.

"It's great to have them downtown," he said.

Wood County Society joined with the Easter Seals in the early 1950s to provide services, the release from the society said. Programs were first held in the White Star laundry building at St. Marys Avenue and 15th Street.

The society also partnered with Easter Seals during the annual telethon to raise capital to purchase land and build a building across from the former St. Joseph's Hospital on 18th Street where the society and Easter Seals for a number of years provided programming and resources.

The National Easter Seals charter relocated to Marietta and Wheeling and over time, the needs of the community changed, the release said. Most programs were operated outside of the building on 18th Street and the Wood County Society Board of Directors "sold the building and invested the proceeds as a seed for future growth and expansion of its mission," the release said.