Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- City officials said this week they're still looking at grant opportunities to fund development of an inclusive playground in Steubenville.
At Tuesday's meeting, Councilwoman at large Kimberly Hahn said they haven't given up hope of finding a funding source, even though the highly publicized Appalachian Community Grant fund opportunity has been ruled out.
Hahn said recent changes in the guidelines for grants have made the project ineligible, so their grant writing consultant is looking at other opportunities -- including "a new grant opportunity that's coming out."
While there are still a lot of questions to be answered, Hahn said it's promising and they'll be talking about it Friday with the consultant.
Hahn said it appears that in order to qualify for the grant, "It has to be a one-time request with no additional state funding required," Hahn said, adding that as she understands it, pilot programs aren't eligible and grant funds can't be used to cover operational or salary costs.
"We already have the space for this and it doesn't affect salary," she said. "This seems like it can be a really, really good (fit)."
Joe Wallace, the director co community relations at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, updated council about Friday's opening of the new ice skating rink at Franciscan Square, pointing out it "couldn't be accomplished without a lot of local support."
The rink is about 70 percent larger than the temporary one that was used before.
"A lot of businesses stepped up to make this possible," he said, among them Trinity Health System, the Pugliese Foundation, WesBanco and Anthony Mining.
Wallace said the university purchased a Zamboni for the rink "so the ice can be manicured every session."
First Ward Councilwoman Asantewa Anywabwile, who lost her bid for re-election, told council before she leaves she wants to have discussions about setting funds aside to help indigent homeowners get their grass cut and what to do with sites after a building is torn down, pointing out that planting new grass makes it look good initially but if it isn't cut it's going to be an eyesore.
"A lot of time it goes for so long without being cut that trees start growing, then it becomes a wooded lot and they don't have to," Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo said.
Anyabwile tried to schedule a committee meeting, but city officials pointed out there are only a handful of meetings left before council's Christmas break. "So I'll just present them as ordinances and you guys can talk about them," she responded.
Third Ward Councilwoman Heather Hoover told Anyabwile she initially understood her to be talking about setting aside funds to keep "vacant lots that don't have an owner" mowed, "but supplying funds for people who won't and can't mow their lots, I'm not in favor of that."
"If they have an owner, I think you have to hold the owner accountable," Hoover said.
Anyabwile told Hoover, a school teacher familiar with words and their meanings, that "indigent means they don't have the funds," and Mayo said that even Municipal Judge John Mascio "made it clear that if a person proves they can't afford it, there's nothing he can do about it -- we can make all the ordinances we want but if the ORC says we can't do anything if people can't afford it, we can't do anything."
"I understand that elderly people and people on fixed incomes (may need assistance), but I'd rather do some kind of community outreach and maybe get neighbors to help," she said, calling Anyabwile's proposal a "slippery slope."
"I'd like to see the number of people who fit that category," she said. "I feel it would be ...a daunting task as a city. I'd be surprised if that $12,000 (you want) would cover it. It's not something you can do once, we'd have to go back every two weeks. I'm just expressing my concerns about taking that route."
Anyabwile said $12,000 "is not a lot of money, but at least it's a start. It will get people thinking about it."
Council approved the transfer of a property at 913 N. Fifth St. to Steubenville City Schools, which will develop a community garden and outdoor learning center, part of the city's Choice Neighborhoods grant strategy.
Nearly a year ago the city was one of nine communities nationwide to be awarded a $500,000 grant to develop a strategy to reinvent the North End community. One of those nine will eventually be chosen as the Choice Neighborhoods community, unlocking more than $30 million in additional funding to implement that strategy.
With the property transfer in place, Hahn sunshined legislation rezoning the property to public and semi-public "to enable development of the community garden that will be connected to the school."
Demolition of buildings at 612 Ross St., 910 Sherman Ave., 422 Clinton St., 1021-23 McKinley Avenue, 409-415 Clinton St., 1311 Belleview Blvd., 332 Summit Ave., 1303 Ridge Ave. and a garage at 1244 Pennsylvania Ave. also were approved. All had been declared unsafe.
Council also approved emergency legislation awarding Phase 2 of the CSO-3 line replacement project to Midwest Mole Inc.
Steubenville Visitor Center Executive Director Judy Bratten submitted her report Tuesday, telling council they've "tried to adjust our budget to the changes that we have seen in the past year."
"We will continue to be good stewards of the lodging tax revenues that we receive, seeking to promote all the events and activities that occur in the city," she said.
Most of the Visitor Center's funding derives from the city lodging tax. It operates "under the fiscal agency of the Old Fort Steuben Project," she said. "It is a separate entity with its own budget and mission, although there is often overlap in activities and events."
She told council they don't know yet how the closure of the Sleep Inn will impact its lodging tax revenue.
City Manager Jim Mavromatis announced new council members who won election on Nov. 7: Dave Albaugh, First Ward; Ted Gorman, Fifth Ward; and Councilman at large Joel Walker , who will be sworn in at 3 p.m. Dec. 28 in council chambers. Hoover will be sworn in to her first full term in office.
Due to Tuesday's Steubenville Lights Up the Night festivities, council's next meeting will be Monday.