ATTENTIVE — Mingo Junction Village Council members Mark Baker and Jodilynn Fitzgerald and Mayor Judy Ruckman listened to a speaker in the audience of Tuesday’s council meeting. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — Village officials are pursuing an Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant program, with hopes of improving one of the village’s parks.

During its regular meeting Tuesday, Village Council approved Mayor Judy Ruckman or her administration to act on behalf of the village in matters pertaining to the ODNR NatureWorks program. The approval, done through emergency legislation, comes more than a month ahead of the program’s June 1 application deadline.

NatureWorks is a reimbursement grant program that provides up to 75 percent project funding. Eligible projects include facilities for picnicking, camping, swimming, boating and sports, as well as playgrounds, trails and other amenities.

Maximum project awards are determined based on the county a project is located in. A 25 percent local match is required, either cash or in-kind.

Ruckman said she’s applying for around $35,610 — the maximum award for projects in Jefferson County. Funds would be used to purchase new amenities for the village’s satellite park located at the intersection of Lincoln and Summit avenues.

Councilmember Patti Mannarino questioned the move, considering Village Administrator Darrin Corrigan had previously advised focusing upgrades on Aracoma Park.

“It’s pretty much in decent shape,” Ruckman said of Aracoma, adding later: “There’s going to be more money coming down the pipeline, and because I thought it’s in such decent shape, we can focus on (another park).”

Kids use Lincoln-Summit park relatively often during the summer, Ruckman said. Also, the park’s grass is maintained by a neighbor, whose driveway security camera keeps an eye on the location, deterring mischief.

Ruckman added she’s writing letters to local organizations, asking for donations to benefit the park.

Corrigan said later that the village received $13,000 in recreation funding from the Jefferson County commissioners. The cheapest playground equipment for Aracoma Park would run around $30,000, he said, meaning that wouldn’t be a feasible use of the commissioners’ money.

Instead, Corrigan proposed obtaining quotes from World Radio Telecommunications for cameras to monitor the village’s five satellite parks. The cameras — which would link directly to the city building and eliminate Comcast as a conduit service — may not be fully covered by the recreation funds, but Corrigan said Council can determine which parks to focus on.

Separately, Corrigan reported there have been some changes to the village’s utility aggregation through Trebel Energy.

Energy Harbor, which was planned to provide the village’s electricity for the three-year aggregation contract period, has been purchased by another company, Dynegy, Corrigan said.

While Dynegy still plans to fulfill the contract, it was unable to file with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in time and cannot start until June 1, Corrigan said. That means all Mingo Junction residents enrolled in the aggregation program will have their electricity supplied by American Electric Power during May.

During that month, the cost of electricity will be 7.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. The rate will become 9.18 cents per kilowatt-hour June 1 and remain that way for one year, before a different fixed rate begins.

Those wishing to opt out of electricity aggregation can call Dynegy at 1 (833) 241-4599. The gas provider is Archer Energy, and residents who want to opt out of their service can call 1 (844) 795-7491. Questions can be directed to Stephen King, account manager for Trebel, at (607) 972-1961.

Also, Council heard from Steubenville Township Trustee Scott Fabian, who advocated for a “yes” vote on Issue 2 in the May 6 primary election.

Begun in 1987, the State Capital Improvement Program provides funding for road, bridge, water and other infrastructure projects in all 88 of Ohio’s counties. The 10-year program is currently up for renewal through Issue 2 on election ballots.

The program typically offers $200 million but would be increased to $250 million if passed. Funding is determined through a point system, Fabian said, with paving projects being rated low and bridge or sewer projects being rated higher.

Every community manages funds differently, Fabian said. In Jefferson County, the townships are on rotation for which three receive funding in a given year.

Issue 2 does not increase taxes, Fabian said. Rather, it allows the state to issue general obligation bonds.

The program has been valuable, but recent polling has projected an unfavorable future for the program, Fabian said.

“It’s a great program. Why people say it’s losing on the ballot, we’re not sure. It actually costs the people nothing.”

Fabian is president of the Ohio Township Association, which has endorsed Issue 2. He expressed concern about low voter turnout in the primary election, which could affect the outcome.

In other business:

• Council waived the three readings and approved an ordinance accepting parcel number 40-00050-000, located at 635 Commercial Street, which was donated to the village. For an added $28,000, the building on the parcel will be demolished along with three adjacent buildings already slated for demolition through the Jefferson County Land Bank.

• Council passed as emergency legislation three other ordinances: Increasing the charge for water service delivered via 4-inch-diameter water service meters, increasing the charge for water service provided to JSW Steel in excess of 150,000 gallons per month and increasing the charge for sewer service provided to JSW Steel in excess of 2,000 gallons per month.

• Council took no action after four executive sessions for property acquisition, pool personnel, litigation and wastewater personnel.

• Corrigan said there were no grant funds this year to provide free senior pool passes, of which 50 were made available last year.

• Kyle Moffat, chief operator of the village wastewater plant, thanked the Ohio Rural Water Association for providing camera equipment for the facility quickly and free of charge.

• Ruckman reported that, with help from construction firm Verdantas, she’s applied for $65,000 from the Ohio Department of Development’s Housing Technical Assistance Program, which offers about $1.5 million to political subdivisions hoping to modernize their regulations and processes related to zoning efforts.

• Councilmember Jack Brettell thanked community service workers who finished removing Christmas decorations from graves in Oakland Cemetery. Ruckman noted the decorations, sticks and garbage amounted to nearly 10 total garbage bags’ worth.

• Village resident Rich Grantonic inquired about the possibility of having speed bumps installed on Legion Drive, which he said suffers from speeding cars coming from McLister Avenue. Ruckman said she would investigate signage and police presence for Legion but said speed bumps pose logistical challenges.