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Jefferson County Prosecutor’s offices could be moved

STEUBENVILLE — Frustrated by frequent sewage backups flooding her current office space, Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin Thursday was given the go-ahead by the county commissioners to look into spaces outside the justice center that might better suit her department’s needs.

“For years now, we have had to endure multiple episodes of flooding due to the conduct of the inmates and other problems with the building,” she said after the commissioners’ weekly meeting. “When inmates stuff the toilet with towels or jumpsuits, it has the effect of flooding the prosecutor’s office with water and sewage. There have been additional problems with the sprinkler that have led to flooding and additional damage to the office. At this point it is not a safe place for our staff to conduct business.”

At issue is the inmate population’s propensity for deliberately clogging sewage lines with towels, jumpsuits, parts of jumpsuit and other contraband. The prosecutor’s office sits directly below juvenile detention — and juvenile detention sits directly below the jail’s maximum-security cellblocks — so it’s taken the brunt of the flood damage: Arguably the worst took place two years ago and caused damage in the neighborhood of $80,000.

“It’s a tough situation to work in,” Hanlin said. “There’s only (so many) times you can suck (sewage) out of carpets and tiles…” .

Hanlin said when they leave the office at night, employees “cover personal items and computers with tarps.” She said the frequent flooding also puts important records at risk.

Hanlin said her department “can’t keep operating like this.”

“With inmates on the floors above us, we’re just at risk,” she said. “It happened again yesterday, water was coming down the stairwell.”

That time it was caused by a sprinkler failure, so the water that came down the steps was potable, and they were able to address the problem quickly.

“Two weeks ago, a juvenile flushed a towel down,” Maintenance Supervisor Patrick Boyles added. “We caught it pretty quickly.”

Commissioners agree it makes sense to explore options.

“I think it’s time to get some proposals together for us,” Commissioner Eric Timmons said. “That’s my thought, let’s move on it and see what the best fit is.”

Commissioner Tony Morelli agreed, pointing out that, “since I’ve been here there’ve been a couple very big messes, and many more.”

“We need to get it fixed and try to repurpose it,” he said. “The only way to do that is to get everybody out of there.”

The newest member of the board of commissioners, Jake Kleineke, agreed it’s the right move, adding, “I wouldn’t want to work in those conditions.”

“The conditions are bad for the intended purposes of the office,” he added. “I feel we could better utilize that space. In order to fix it, we need to evacuate it, see if there’s a way we can mitigate a solution, so this doesn’t happen to whoever moves in next.”

Barry Bardone, adjutant of the Jefferson County Veterans Association, told commissioners he’d like to see the name of Fort Friendship Military Park changed to “something like Corp. Fred B. McGee Medal of Honor Recipient Memorial Park.

McGee, a Korean War veteran, who died in 2020, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3 on the fifth anniversary of his death.

“I’d also like to see some kind of little monument, photo of him and a citation engraved in stone,” Bardone said. “It’s a magnificent thing he did, we should recognize it.”

Commissioners also:

• Adopted the engineering department’s resolution authorizing force account for 2025, allowing Engineer Eric Hilty to employ labor and proceed by force” to maintain, repair and construct roads, bridges and culvers in the county.

• Approved Hilty’s request to post 25 percent load reduction notices on various county roads beginning Feb. 1. The lower load limits would be in effect through April 30.

• Announced City Family Medicine Inc. will be leasing space in the Tower building.

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