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STEUBENVILLE -- Franciscan University of Steubenville is considering changing its campus access, contingent on acquiring a 10-foot strip of land next to Super 8 as well as another small parcel on Franklin Avenue near Capri Sausage Shop and convincing the city to vacate Franciscan Way West.
During Tuesday’s planning committee meeting, the university’s Joe McGurn briefed council on the concepts which he said are being talked about in university circles though no decisions to move forward have been made.
“It’s possible within the next couple of weeks, the board meets in April, that we’ll get authorization from our board to make Super 8 a residence hall,” McGurn said. “If that happens, we’ll be looking at starting renovations there this summer to make it an upper class residence hall.”
McGurn said the university is interested in a small parcel on Franklin “where it comes up by Capri.” He said any changes they might make would not impact the business.
“We’re not touching Capri, the Wellesley Avenue extension would not be touched,” he stressed.
McGurn pointed out the parcels in question are bordered by properties owned by the universtiy or an affiliate.
“All the property that surrounds it on every side, except that 10-foot-wide strip, is owned by a (Franciscan) entity,” he said. “Action is being taken now to consolidate” properties and dissolve some of the limited liability companies listed as the owners, “and absorb them into FUS itself.”
If the city agrees to vacate Franciscan Way West, McGurn said it “could become a walking path or hillside for students to use, and Super 8, all of that, would become an extension from campus.”
McGurn said he’s been told the city retained ownership of the 10-foot-wide strip of land next to Super 8 “(if) Franciscan Way ever needed widened, we would have the land to do that.”
“We could get two lanes down, one up,” he said. “We’d have a new west entrance. We’re not committed to it at this point, but it is an idea we really want to consider pursuing.”
Law Director Costa Mastros said he’d like council to mull the university’s tentative plans, then come back March 9 prepared to discuss the proposed sale of the lots during a closed-door meeting. By law, city officials can meet in executive session to discuss sale of property.
“I want to go into executive session next week on some other matters as well,” Mastros said. “We could kill two birds.” Sixth Ward Councilman Bob Villamagna, who chairs council’s planning committee, said he doesn’t see a problem with making the changes, “as long as Costa gets everything worked out.”
Council also discussed what city inspectors can and are doing to get rid of blighted properties. Inspectors pointed out they can’t go onto private property to survey conditions without first securing an administrative warrant from a judge and even then, they must serve property owners with proper documentation.
“Properties can sit in limbo while we try to locate their owners,” another said.
“We’ve got houses on Union Avenue that have been there over seven years,” 2nd Ward Councilman Craig Petrella said. “They’re in the same condition today (they were then). I don’t know what we can do. We have to revamp legislation; we’ve got to streamline it somehow. ”
Petrella and 3rd Ward Councilman Eric Timmons said they toured a problem block recently, noting that in front of one boarded-up property they found weeds and brush around the house and sidewalk that “is completely blocked because of the trees.”
“The sidewalks are completely blocked because the trees have grown up through them and they’re encroaching on the street now.”
“The list (of unkempt properties) is not getting smaller, it’s growing,” he said. “So, we’ve got to figure out what this body can do as a whole to stop the growth and start shrinking it.”
Petrella said problem properties are only getting worse and objected to calling them “extreme” cases.
“Those extreme cases are starting to be the norm,” he added. “They’ve multiplied over the years to where now they’re becoming the standard or normal.”
City Manager Jim Mavromatis said if council can “come up with a plan and the manpower,” he’d have “no problem recommending to get a team of people working, part-time, with some guidance on what we need to do on the legal side of things.”
Villamagna added the city’s inspections team and the litter officer “are doing a good job with the tools they have to work with.”
Councilwoman at large Kimberly Hahn said Recreation Director Lori Fetherolf is trying to get a feel for how many individuals would be interested in working as a lifeguard if Belleview Pool reopens.
“We need to find out if there are people interested and available,” she said
During the regular meeting, 5th Ward Councilman Willie Paul sunshined emergency legislation approving the Jefferson-Belmont Solid Waste District’s solid waste management plan.
Mavromatis said it has to be voted on by March 28. If the city misses that deadline, “then they take it as a ‘no’ by us, the largest (city). If we don’t respond, it’s considered an automatic ‘no’ (vote).”
Villamagna also introduced legislation that would rezone the old USW union hall and a property next to it from central business district to a general commercial and industrial district. STB STR LLC wants to turn the former union hall into a storage facility and demolish the other property, which used to house a barbershop, for parking and loading areas.