STEUBENVILLE — City Council plans to show its thanks next week to two retailers and a community service organization that stepped up to help residents of Heritage Place who’ve been without heat for two months or more.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo reported Wal-Mart had provided $25 gift cards for households affected by the ongoing heat outage, Urban Mission gave food boxes and water and Kroger donated hot food.

“In times like these, it’s always good when you can reach out to leaders in the community like Wal-Mart, Urban Mission and Kroger who can lend a helping hand to citizens when they’re having hard times,” he said.

Mayo said Wal-Mart provided gift cards for 32 affected households, the number he was initially given by building managers. He said he’s since been told up to 64 apartments haven’t had piped-in heat since at least the beginning of December. Some residents now are also battling broken pipes in addition to extremely cold temperatures.

Building managers distributed space heaters to residents who wanted them, but tenants have complained they heat only a small portion of their living space, have to be moved from room-to-room and haven’t kept them warm during the recent cold wave. Some fear using them because of the broken pipes saturating their living area with water.

Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon and Third Ward Councilwoman Heather Hoover, meanwhile, reported they’re seeing too many business advertising signs posted in their wards and requested relief.

“Our wards are overwhelmed by signs,” McManamon said, noting there’s a glut “from one company in particular.” Some are pounded into the ground, others are on utility poles, he said.

“We do have an ordinance,” Urban Projects Director Chris Petrossi said. “We can remove them” if they’re on city property, and order homeowners to remove them from private property, if necessary.

Council gave City Manager Jim Mavromatis the go-ahead to sign a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the state Route 7 resurfacing project and the city’s 2025 Community Development Block Grant street resurfacing program. Final readings of both ordinances passed without question.

Emergency legislation authorizing Mavromatis to apply for and accept Ohio Public Works Commission and local transportation improvement programs also was approved.

City Engineer Mike Dolak said OPWC requested specific verbiage in the two resolutions, which clear the way for the city to receive a $240,000 OPWC grant for the city’s 2025 asphalt resurfacing program as well as another $68,000 OPWC grant for the county Road 43 project.

Also approved on final reading was legislation repealing Chapters 1339 and 1341 of the city’s codified ordinances and enacting replacement provisions. Chapter 1339 involves site stabilization, soil erosion and sedimentation controls, while Chapter 1333 addresses storm water management.

The final reading of an ordinance amending the table of organization specifically for the Planning and Urban Redevelopment Department director was tabled for one week to allow Law Director Costa Mastros to include additional information pertaining to the interim director position being added to ease the transition to a new director following the retirement of Petrossi.

First reading, meanwhile, was given to legislation that would authorize Mavromatis to sign a cooperation agreement with the county for improvements to Jefferson County Road 23 (Coal Hill Road) and seek bids for the city’s 2024 pavement marking program as well as for the Fort Steuben Drive sidewalk extension.

Council also sunshined legislation pertaining to the 2026-27 hot mix resurfacing program and reminded residents to check the city website for information on job postings.