MEETING — The Jefferson County Board of Health met in regular session on Tuesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Two local landfills received their 2025 solid waste licenses from the Jefferson County Board of Health, which discussed potential expansions to one of those facilities, Tuesday.

Approved to operate throughout 2025 were the Hollow Rock Facility, a residual solid waste landfill in Knox Township, and Apex Landfill, a municipal solid waste landfill in Springfield Township.

“Both of them have been in compliance throughout 2024 — quite frankly much better 2024s than 2023s, if you ask me — so I definitely feel a lot better going into calendar year 2025,” said Health Commissioner Andrew Henry prior to the board’s vote.

Hollow Rock formerly belonged to FirstEnergy Generation Corp. and took in coal combustion residuals originating primarily from electric generation processes at the now-shuttered W.H. Sammis Power Plant in Stratton, also owned by FirstEnergy at the time. HRF and the power plant are currently owned by Houston-based Energy Transition and Environmental Management LLC, which is demolishing the plant in hopes of preparing the site for development.

Apex has been owned since 2020 by Interstate Waste Services, one of the nation’s largest privately held solid waste companies. Headquartered in Teaneck, N.J., IWS employs more than 150 people at Apex alone and has invested over $55 million in the landfill.

Board member Dr. Mark Kissinger asked Henry if there have been any changes to either landfill’s “size or scope.”

“IWS is working on expansion of the landfill,” Henry said, “so at this time no, but that could be something in the future that they pursue.”

Addressing two IWS employees present at the meeting, board member Terry Bell noted that Apex could “move across the street from your entrance and be in Harrison County, where you own property.”

In early 2023, IWS purchased 377 acres of land in Harrison County that are adjacent to its original site. Standing between Apex’s original site and part of the new parcel is an easement for the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District, granting it control over a wetlands area.

IWS has expressed interest in obtaining its own easement from the conservation district, allowing it to expand through directly the wetlands area. In exchange, the company would clean up the defunct Crossridge Landfill near Steubenville.

Leachate, or water that passes through the landfill’s solid waste, has been found unlawfully discharging out of Crossridge and into nearby Cross Creek. The landfill’s owner, Joe Scugoza Jr., has faced courts orders and fines compelling him to properly dispose of the leachate. Scugoza has allegedly failed to do so, leading most recently to his being sentenced to 180 days in jail for contempt of court in June.

“(Apex’s) footprint is set in stone, no changes, but it could change in time,” Henry said. “As it stands, it’s the same as last year.”

Apex has increased the amount of construction and demolition debris it handles since opening a $17 million gondola offloading facility on site, Henry said. That facility’s operations have raised the landfill’s average incoming waste a “fair amount,” though C&D material does not count toward the landfill’s daily 10,000-ton limit on municipal solid waste it can receive.

Apex and other landfills generate “tipping fees” by charging those who dispose of waste in the landfill. The fees are based on tonnage and benefit the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and regional solid waste authorities. Apex’s tipping fees from MSW go to the JB Green Team, while C&D tipping fees go to the Jefferson County General Health District, which allots them to designated recipients.

Sanitarian Carla Gampolo told the board that, in January, she would present a report from 2019 to 2024 showing Apex’s increase in tonnage received.

On a similar note, Environmental Health Director Marc Maragos reported that the Apex odor complaint hotline received 17 calls in November and had accepted another five in December as of Tuesday morning.

Maragos indicated that IWS odor technicians have been calling the hotline at least once per day, at different times, to ensure “that any people that need to report odor complaints to the hotlines … will not have any problems doing so.”

“I applaud IWS in taking that step,” Maragos added.

Addressing two IWS employees at the meeting, board member Terry Bell said he’s “becoming accustomed” to positive odor reports from Apex, and he encouraged IWS to keep up its odor prevention efforts.

Separately, the board heard how the JCGHD’s Dashing for Diapers 5K on Saturday had 60 individuals pre-register and another 10 register just prior. Participants donated 1,308 diapers to be distributed through the Jefferson County Diaper Bank.

Clinical staff members acknowledged the cold weather during the race but affirmed the event was positive. Henry said it was a community effort, adding that Historic Fort Steuben volunteers, the Steubenville Police Department and the Nutcracker Village all contributed to the event at some point.

“The event was a great way to promote healthy activity in the community and raise money for our diaper bank at the same time,” Henry said.

“I need applaud (you all),” Bell said. “It was 19 degrees. You guys were out and about continuing to show what this department and what this board is all about for the community.”

In other business:

• The board approved revising its policy manual to say that longevity payments be paid in a lump sum on an annual basis included in the first paycheck of December each year to align with the Jefferson County Courthouse’s schedule. The policy formerly said that longevity payments would be paid in the final paycheck of the year.

• The board approved paying $2,700 to Fiscal Officer Kelly Wilson to make up for uncredited vacation hours. Due to a clerical error, Wilson’s allotted vacation hours were not increased as they should’ve been in 2022, based on her length of public service. Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Blake had previously informed Henry that the board should pay Wilson the shortfall.

• Board member Mary Mihalyo requested that Wilson prepare a one-time yearly report on the department’s balance during the last several years. A communication error resulted in Wilson not preparing the report for this meeting.

• Initial data collection is nearly complete for the JCGHD’s joint Community Health Assessment with Trinity Health System, Henry said, adding that the geographic spread of respondents has been impressive. He also reported that the JCGHD will be pursuing available grant funding through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to clean open dump sites.