PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – The courtroom at the federal courthouse in Parkersburg closed its doors for good on Friday. The U.S. Government’s General Services Administration is in the process of shutting down that building over the next year.
The IRS and Social Security offices still occupy office space, as well as the U.S. Post Office, but the GSA has made it clear it does not intend to continue renting out that space past August of next year.
Parkersburg Mayor Bob Newell said the city has known about the closure for several years and the last thing he wants to see happen is the property sitting empty.
“We’ve been to Washington, D.C. a couple times to make sure that building remains viable,” stressed Newell.
The GSA put more than a $1 million into the facade of the courthouse just two years ago but inside there are lots of repairs and updates needed.
Newell said the federal government has made it clear it doesn’t plan to move other federal agencies into the building and it’s too big to sell to a charitable organization.
“We are investigating the possibility of the Wood County Development Authority obtaining that building and trying to do something with it,” according to Newell.
He said it’s a spacious building with a docking area and plenty of storage. He hopes that will appeal to someone in the future. That could come in the form of a spin-off business from a recent announcement.
“With a cracker plant, there’s always the possibility of some downstream companies,” said Newell.
Two weeks ago, Odebrecht, a Brazilian company, announced it has an option to purchase property along the Ohio River in nearby Washington to build an ethane cracker and three polyethylene plants. However, a final decision on that development could be years in the future.
Newell said they’re keeping all their options open at this point.