WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) -Two Wheeling nonprofit organizations with missions of historic preservation and economic revitalization have decided to merge.
News outlets report that the boards of the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp. and Reinvent Wheeling announced the merger Tuesday.
Once the merger becomes official on Friday, the organizations will be known as Wheeling Heritage and will be governed by a merged 23-member board.
Jeanne Finstein, interim executive director of WNHAC, said the merger helps both organizations strengthen areas they felt they needed to improve on. The merger is also expected to eliminate duplicate expenses, such as accounting and employee insurance costs.
WNHAC was founded in 1994 to conserve and promote Wheeling's heritage. Reinvent Wheeling was founded in 2009 with the goal of transforming downtown Wheeling into a "cultural heart and economic hub."