STEUBENVILLE — City officials said Tuesday big chunks of facade are falling from the Fourth Street side of the Sinclair Building, posing a safety risk for pedestrians on the street below.

City Manager Jim Mavromatis told council the onus is on the owner of the property to address the problem: He said a notice of violation has been sent to the owner, though he still hopes to talk to him in person so he can show him the size of a piece he picked up and impress on him the risk to passersby.

In the meantime, he said the city put up barrels and yellow tape to steer people away from the danger zone.

“We had to put a temporary change-of-walkway (in place) where no one was walking on (that section of) sidewalk,” he said, pointing out if a piece of the façade were to fall on a pedestrian from that height, they’d be dead.

“A violation has been sent out and we have temporarily put that they need to get something there, around the Fourth Street side and the Market Street side to capture any other façade pieces or anything else that falls so someone does not get hurt.”

Mavromatis said that notice forces the owner “into court or compliance.” He said the owner “has been notified through the realtor, who we have sent written notification. But I want to talk to the owner personally, so he understands the issue.”

Mavromatis and Water Superintendent Jim Jenkins, meanwhile, discussed the city’s current lack of a Class 4 plant operator, required by Ohio EPA of plants designed to pump more than 5 million gallons of water annually. Steubenville’s water plant was designed to pump 6 million gallons a year, though Mavromatis pointed out it actually produces only around 4 million gallons annually.

Since the former operator, a contract employee, retired six months ago the city hasn’t had a Class 4 operator though Jenkins himself is working toward his certificate. Last year OEPA gave the city a six-month stay to address the problem, which has no impact on the actual water quality.

To qualify for a Class 4 certification, Jenkins

Jenkins told council he thought OEPA was going to renew the extension but didn’t , instead issuing what’s known as a ‘Tier 2″ notice of violation that requires the city to send a public notice to all customers alerting them to the lack of a Class 4 operator.

“We were under the assumption that we would be allowed to extend it another six months, but EPA denied it and pus under notice of violation so every resident in Steubenville will receive a letter stating (we) don’t have a Class 4 operator,” Jenkins said, telling council that so far there’s no fines attached.

Jenkins is a few months shy of completing that two-year management requirement outright, so he and Mavromatis proposed OEPA consider either allowing Jenkins to take the certification test right away or “declassify” the plant to Class 3 status. Jenkins called that “the more permanent fix.”

“We are a 6 million gallon-a-day design but we don’t produce that. We average (under 3.5 million gallons) a day,” he said, adding, “Hopefully they’ll entertain that, we’re waiting on a response.”

Second reading was given to an ordinance that would declare buildings at 439 Lawson Avenue; 616 11th Street; 608 Hermania; 239 N. 7th Street; 1249 Oregon Avenue; 733 Kendall Avenue; 533 Maxwell Avenue and 533 Maxwell Avenue Rear; 1437 Maryland Avenue; 222 Edgar Avenue; 1292 Sinclair Avenue; 1700 State Street; 1319 Oregon Avenue; and 347 S. 7th Street to be unsafe structures and ordering their demolition.

Council also heard first readings of ordinances authorizing the city manager to prepare and submit an application for funding through the Ohio Public Works Commission state capital improvement and local transportation improvement programs

Required and authorizing him also to seek bids for the city’s 2026 hot-mix resurfacing improvements.