The Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Mark Lewis told the Wood County Commission on Thursday about the work being done at the CVB’s new permanent location at the former Point Park Marketplace Building, between the Blennerhassett Museum and the boat landing on the Ohio River. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The new Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau location at the former Point Park Marketplace Building has worked out great with more daily visitors since opening last spring, the executive director told the Wood County Commission on Thursday.

Mark Lewis appeared before the commission to talk about the new location and the work they are doing to get ready for the upcoming tourist season.

“Over six months, we saw 5,000 visitors which is ten times what we saw at the old location (at Seventh and Avery streets) the previous year,” Lewis said.

He cited studies that there is a correlation between a visit to a welcome center and increased tourism spending.

“We think that is what happens whenever we talk to someone down there,” Lewis said.

Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber and Wood County Development Executive Director Lindsey Piersol appeared before the Wood County Commission Thursday to discuss if the county would be interested in doing a limited property value rebate, similar to something the City of Parkersburg does. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

They were able to talk to people about what they are interested in seeing and then see if they can spend the night locally and get them to see another local attraction the next day or see if they might come back at a later date. Lewis feels the new Discovery Center in downtown Parkersburg will be one of those attractions that will bring more tourists in.

They are working on the permanent renovations to the building which are on schedule and on budget.

“We are looking forward to being back in the building the first week of April,” Lewis said.

He thanked the commission for its financial support in doing the renovations and helping with the advertising budget returning to pre-COVID levels.

“People are looking for things to do and you have to get your name out there,” Lewis said.

In other business, Wood County Development Executive Director Lindsey Piersol and Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber appeared before the commission to see if the county would be interested in doing a limited property value rebate, similar to something the City of Parkersburg does.

Around 2018-19 the city was trying work out the details to incentivize development by rebating the city’s portion of real property tax.

“The intent of the program is to catalyze private investment in residential and commercial properties,” Barber said.

The program works as a function of two appraisals, pre-improvement and post improvement, he said. Improvements have meant that property taxes would go up.

The idea is if someone did improvements to a home and, as an example, the property tax would go from $100 to $200 and the city could do a rebate of around $17 which is their portion.

Piersol said the rebate would be for the amount of the increase, but the county would still get the current property tax.

“It is something that we can offer,” she said.

Officials said this rebate would be in place for 15 years.

The county has 18% and Barber wants to talk to school officials to see if anything could be done to offer a bigger rebate.

“We think great participation between the city and the county would be a good thing,” Barber said adding the city has processed two completed applications for rehabilitation projects.

Piersol said a developer has bought a property and they want to turn it into a mix use property with residential and commercial possibilities. The new owners of the Dils Center also inquired about the program.

Piersol said both wanted to see the county participate, in addition to the city, to get more of a rebate.

“The way I am seeing it is we have a lot of buildings, both in the city and throughout the county, that need significant rehab work and this may be a little bit of a carrot to get someone to invest those funds to do so,” Piersol said.

Commission President Blair Couch said property tax is one of the county’s main income. He wants the Assessor’s office run the numbers and see how much it might cost the county as whether they would participate.

In other business:

* The commission approved an application for a $1.66 million West Virginia Community Block Grant to help extend sewer lines to the Hill Avenue area. The project would be a joint project with the Parkersburg Utility Board (PUB). and the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council (MOVRC).

“Although the area is outside the city limits, it is not feasibily served by any other provider,” said Luke Peters, Community Development Director for the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council.

It is a low to median income area, Peters said. If approved by the state, around 28 households are expected to be connected, Peters said, adding the homes are currently on septic systems.

“There are health concerns that would be addressed by this,” he said. “It could open the area up for further housing development.”

The application is due at the end of the month, but it could be nine to 12 months before they know if they are approved.

The PUB is also looking to extending sewer line to the nearby Marrtown Road area. An additional lift station will be needed, said Eric Bennett, PUB Director, which is expected to be funded through some federal funding secured by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

* The Wood County Sheriff’s Department announced the promotions of Lt. Derek Cross and Sgt. Jeff Kidder.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com