Steubenville officials fighting litter issues
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STEUBENVILLE -- Frustrated by glaring problems with properties piled high with litter and debris, Steubenville City Council wrapped up a 90-minute committee meeting Tuesday with a directive to department heads and administrators to bring them a strategy for addressing them -- including supplying trucks and drivers to aid a community-organized clean up on Labelle two weeks from now.
The meeting, organized by Third Ward Councilwoman Heather Hoover, the Pride Committee chair, focused on litter -- specifically, "property owners who do not reside in Steubenville and we do not have the capability to bring into court," including limited liability companies. She said Municipal Judge John Mascio Jr. is able to hold in-city offenders accountable with fines and threats of jail time.
Hoover displayed pictures of a number of problem properties, primarily in her ward though she pointed out she'd received calls from residents in other wards as well. She said she wasn't trying to embarrass anybody, "but we do need to work collectively to figure out a solution to this because people should not have to live next to (those properties)."
"I understand there is a cost factor," she said during the meeting. "But we need a solution. We're always talking about (attracting) new businesses and developments ... this disheartens me. There are some people who don't live the way others do, I get that. But for the people who do care ... what are we supposed to do?"
Hoover said she's hoping council can begin to address overgrown lots "soon."
After venting for more than an hour, council members concluded that drafting a policy should be left to those privy to manpower, budgetary and legal restrictions -- chiefly, City Manager Jim Mavromatis, Law Director Costa Mastros and Sanitation Supervisor Bob Baird.
In addition, Council Clerk Karly Haley will be tasked with tracking the problem properties, ticking off when the city has met its obligations for serving notice of the code violation to LLCs and out-of-town property owners and, when applicable, their lack of response -- prerequisites for taking action on their own to address the problems and then attach liens to them.
"I feel that tonight's meeting was somewhat productive and produced the initial steps to move forward in addressing concerns about trash," she said after the meeting. "Mr. Mavromatis has assured council that he will provide us with an outline of the procedures that will now be in place to clean up (those) areas after proper notification has been issued to the owners."
Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon said the discussion shined a spotlight "on one of the major concerns of all of City Council as well as the city staff that would assist in helping us move forward."
"What we got out of tonight was accountability," he added, "one person to own this process and develop the plans to get us where we want to be. It's frustrating, but I appreciate all the effort that Councilwoman Hoover put into this. Her ward and my ward are neighbors and I definitely understand and see the need to have this be a priority of our council."
McManamon said at the end of the day, Mavromatis will have to figure out "how to tie all these pieces together."
"Frankly that has been one of the biggest (obstacles), that there's no one person connecting all the dots," he added. "Our city manager will now be charged with doing that."
Councilman at large Joel Walker agreed, saying they identified "the step that was causing these properties to slip through the cracks" -- though he also said they need residents to help "by keeping their property clean and reporting the people that don't."
"It will cost the city money to clean this up but it will be worth it in the long run," Walker said. "If we as a city don't take pride in making (Steubenville) look better, then how do we expect the citizens to?"
Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo was less optimistic, saying he felt "we are no better off as far as a concrete plan than we were before."
"The best thing ... is the administrative staff is now on notice to get a plan to handle this problem," he added.
Council, meanwhile, voiced overwhelming support for assigning two drivers and trucks to help with the May 14 Labelle cleanup effort being organized by volunteers Donald Springer and Patrick McLaughlin.
"This is going to cost the city nothing in (tipping fees)," McLaughlin told council, pointing out JB Green Team is supplying at least one 40-yard dumpster and Interstate Waste (formerly Apex) will accept the additional tonnage, free of cost.
He said they're also getting help from Kiwanis, the Catholic Central and Steubenville High School Key Clubs and Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
Sixth Ward Councilman Mike Hernon and Fifth Ward Councilman Ted Gorman said supplying trucks "is the least we can do."
"We have a large number of people in our community who are taking the initiative to clean up our city," Gorman said after the meeting. "Instead of making excuses, we should find ways to support and assist these volunteers in their efforts. It is important to appreciate the fact that we have individuals in our community who are genuinely concerned about the cleanliness and well-being of our city."
Hernon said they "want to support citizens and their efforts to reclaim and clean up neighborhoods."