Council hears concerns from port authority director | News, Sports, Jobs

Linda Harris
CONCERNS — Jefferson County Port Authority Director Robert Naylor told Steubenville Council he thinks creating a city community improvement corporation would be a mistake.

STEUBENVILLE — The director of the Jefferson County Port Authority told council Tuesday he thinks creating a community improvement corporation at the city level is going to cause confusion.

At this week’s meeting, council heard the first reading of an ordinance that would enact a city CIC and authorize City Manager Jim Mavromatis to file the Articles of Incorporation and other necessary documents. Afterward, 3rd Ward Councilman Eric Timmons, a member of the Finance Committee, invited Port Authority Director Robert Naylor to address council, saying he thought it was important that they hear his concerns.

“Cities in our region need a cohesive strategy without having too many overlapping entities that duplicate economic development, and sometimes hinder it, to move forward,” Naylor said, pointing out it’s been 10 years since the city joined forces with the county to form the Jefferson County Port Authority.

“I believe it goes without saying, a port authority is a superior economic development agency to a CIC,” he said, ticking off some of the perks, among them, “A port authority may loan money without restriction; real estate owned by a port authority which is not leased is not subject to real estate property taxes; port authorities also have the power of eminent domain … and have greater flexibility in the use of tax increment financing options and can issue tax exempt bonds, a community improvement corporation cannot…”

He said the port authority has:

• Served as conduit to facilitate the transfer of eight parcels to the Diocese, as well as for the $20 million bond sale by Franciscan University of Steubenville to promote further development in Franciscan Square, and for transfer of two lots on Fifth Street to Habitat for Humanity and the transfer of two lots on Franklin Avenue to FUS;

• Worked with the sewer department and OMEGA over an 18-month period from 2018-19 to secure a $250,000 grant to fund a sewer upgrade, $250,000 to defray the cost of the city’s valve replacement project and $925,000 for upgrades to the sewage plant. Port officials also introduced EGCC to the ARC Power Grant Program, which resulted in a major $836,00 grant award for the college’s training center; and

• Secured two grants totaling $550,000 through the Ohio Department of Developments Abandoned Gas Station program, used $430,000 to remove underground storage tanks on South Third Street, setting the stage for “a transformative redevelopment of the South Third Street corridor.”

Naylor said the port authority is currently pursuing a grant to do a study to determine what would be the best use for the site.

“The projects demonstrate what the port authority is doing for the city, and further confirms the port authority is involved in more than industrial development,” he said. “Designating a Community Improvement Corporation as a development agent for the city will result in competition for grants from the same funding sources that the port authority will actually be seeking funds from.”

Urban Projects Director Chris Petrossi had told the planning commission several months ago that a CIC would “advance, encourage and promote residential, commercial and civic development” inside city limits, but that it wouldn’t duplicate the work of the county land bank or port authority. He’d called it “another tool” in the city’s community revitalization efforts.

Council also passed a resolution authorizing application for an Ohio River Basin H2Ohio Wetland Grant, while 5th Ward Councilman Willie Paul sunshined legislation adopting the second amended consent order for wastewater.

“Since ’98, we’ve been under a consent decree for sewage,” Paul said. “This will be our second amended, we need to move forward to come out of the consent decree.”

Paul also sunshined a resolution authorizing the city’s participation in the ODOT road salt contracts in 2022, saying, “This is how we get our salt for next year.”

Now that the health department has a van equipped with a lab, Councilwoman at Large Kimberly Hahn asked council if they’d be interested in going door-to-door to pass out information about services that could be available.

“We could find out if there’s interest, then set up in different communities … maybe it would help raise awareness,” she said. “The health department would get the materials for us. They would help us work out a really good location that would be accessible.”

Before committing to going door-to-door, “I, personally, would love to start with a conversation with the health director, see what their plans are,” 6th Ward Councilman Michael Hernon said.

Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon reported the new mall owners have already leased six storefronts, while 1st Ward Councilwoman Asantewa Anyabwile told council she’s hosting a ward meeting March 30 at 6 p.m. at the library.

Friends of Beatty Organizer Flora VerStraten-Merrin told council people she polled on social media overwhelmingly believe Beatty Park Bridge should be repaired, not rebuilt.

“They want it to remain historically sound and its features to stay intact,” she said.

Timmons said the consensus within city council seems to be repairing the 134-year-old span makes sense financially, “but I think it has to go through proper channels.” He said there are still concerns that need to be addressed, not least of which is whether “there are some other costs he’s not considering.”

“I don’t want to speak for everybody else, but I definitely support restoring it,” he said.