Building renovation funding approved by Steubenville Council
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STEUBENVILLE -- After months of discussion, Steubenville City Council voted Tuesday to proceed with renovations to six areas in the old municipal building.
Council voted 6-1, with only Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo dissenting, to authorize City Manager Jim Mavromatis to move forward with the project, which would bring much-needed upgrades to the men's and women's restrooms, the police evidence room, community room and probation officer room, and develop a locker room for female police officers.
The measure, treated as emergency legislation, passed without comment though later in the meeting Fifth Ward Councilman Willie Paul "thanked everybody for getting this started tonight."
Municipal Judge John J. Mascio Jr. had previously pledged $30,000 from his Special Projects Fund for the community service and probation office upgrades, and told council if there was any money left to apply it to the restroom renovations. All three projects qualify for special projects funding, he said.
"I'm hoping we can knock this part out this year and the second part next year, but it's about the money, that's (the bottom line)," Mavromatis said.
Mavromatis, meanwhile, said he's been in contact with the owners of the old Huntington Bank building on Market Street, telling council he'd had the Building Department's Anthony Body "send an e-mail" to an owner.
Council members and the public had previously voiced concern over the scaffolding remaining up.
"He sent back about a half-page memo," Mavromatis said. "Basically, it costs $26,000 to put that scaffolding up and take it down, and this is a lengthy project going on. My recommendation to Bodo was to set up a meeting, find out what is being done there (and the timeline)."
Mavromatis said the scaffolding is "protection for people walking here."
"It is definitely unsightly and it does take away from the events we have," he said. "From a protection standpoint, I understand completely there's too much traffic going past, that building has got to have something to protect (the public)."
Mavromatis also reported on a road trip he'd made to the city of Painesville, a city he says is much like Steubenville. He said Painesville has a slightly larger population -- around 20,000-21,000 -- and "they share the same problems we share here ."
He said Painesville also has two hour parking in the downtown area, "but it's not policed. They rely on people" to play by the rules.
"They have potholes, houses need torn down. They have a lot of the issues we have here," he said. "What makes me proud coming from Steubenville -- catecorner to city hall they have a little park with a gazebo, they use it for weddings and other events. I explained to him that we have a whole block that has a fort, a water fountain and a park -- he wants to see it, he's looking forward to coming to Nutcracker Village."
"It was nice to talk to another city manager, one-on-one," Mavromatis added. "They have a lot of good projects they're working on, they teamed up with developers -- that's something we need to do here. People who have bought property have done a good job in the 100 block of North Fourth and South Fourth. We have a good base that's here, but we need to work more on the 300 and 400 block of Market Street -- that is the heart of our city, that's what we have left. We don't have steel mills anymore, we don't have industry. What we can do is focus on businesses coming here."
In other matters:
— The Sycamore Center's Bobbyjon Bauman told council Catholic Heart Work Camp is coming back to Steubenville this summer.
"Kids from all over the U.S. will come together, stay at Catholic Central for a week and perform service projects throughout Steubenville and the surrounding area," Bauman said. "Last year we had 300 kids come in and they performed 59 different work orders … painting, landscaping, helping the elderly and those in need, and also social service missions."
This year's service project will be from June 12-15.
"It's free, it doesn't cost anybody anything," he said. "If they need your house painted and don't have the means or are disabled, we'd like to help them out."
— Adopted a resolution declaring Saturday "Tennis Shoe Ernie" Hollinger Day in Steubenville. Hollinger, a former city employee who started his own window-washing business, died in February after his scooter was struck on Sunset Boulevard.
Accepting the resolution was Patrick McLaughlin, a lifelong friend who organized a Tennis Shoe Ernie Co-ed Softball Classic, to be played Saturday at Belleview Park.
"It's easy when everyone wants to support (a project)," McLaughlin said. "So many people do great things in our city who are never going to be forgotten."
— Paul sunshined resolutions proclaiming the month of May to be Motorcycle Safety Awareness month; May 21-27 as National EMS week; May 15 as Peace Officers' Memorial Day and May 15-20 as National Police Week.
— Councilwoman at large Kimberly Hahn sunshined a resolution proclaiming May 21-27 as National Public Works Week.
— Council approved the appointment of Willette Stinson to the Historic Landmarks Commission.
— Sixth Ward Councilman Mike Hernon sunshined legislation that would allow residents to purchase water and sewer line insurance.