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WINTERSVILLE -- Two county commissioners met with the Jefferson County Port Authority at the Jefferson County Airpark Wednesday, discussing prospects for a spec building that would further economic development in the county.
Commissioners Dave Maple and Tony Morelli participated in discussions for the spec building, which would be located at a 13-acre site of developable land owned by the county commissioners and managed by the port authority.
Robert Naylor, executive director of the port authority, said a private developer had expressed interest in the commissioners' site.
Discussions followed about the ideal specifications of the spec building. Naylor said gap analysis must be done using data from OhioSE and data on the local market to determine the ideal "size and scope" of a building.
Separately, the board went into executive session to discuss contractual matters regarding Neighborhood Strategies, the port authority's project manager. Neighborhood Strategies is responsible for linking eligible projects with other projects to meet the region-wide criteria for the $500 million Appalachian Community Grant Program.
There to discuss the matter with the board were Neighborhood Strategies' Jim Lenner, president and CEO, and Stephanie McManus Renda, vice president.
Following the executive session, the board approved a motion to increase funds available to reimburse Neighborhood Strategies for its services from $50,000 to a maximum of $100,000. This comes following last month's discussions, where it was established that the project manager could continue to render its services for longer than was previously anticipated, and the increase in available funds for reimbursement would correspond to the project manager's continued service.
In other business:
— A public hearing for a bond issuance is scheduled for Aug. 2 for JSW Steel USA Ohio Inc., Naylor said.
— Naylor said the port authority is planning to make a submission for the Appalachian Community Grant Mega Sites Program, which assesses larger sites for engineering studies.
— Naylor said a letter was received from the U.S. Economic Development Administration that gave positive word about the port authority's 2023-2025 Jefferson County Coal Recovery Initiative grant application.
— Naylor said he and members of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Brownfield Coalition will attend the National Brownfield Conference in Detroit from Aug. 8-11. He said the conference will address strategies for the "assessment and remediation of brownfield sites," or former industrial sites unutilized due to pollution.
— The board approved a $37,793.76 invoice and subsequent draw request for funds to reimburse Civil and Environmental Consultants Inc. for services rendered.
— Naylor said the port authority will not reapply to the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program because the port authority does not currently have any sites that can meet the program's criteria of creating "tangible economic growth opportunities and measurable community benefits."