STEUBENVILLE — While they still haven’t sold their Cherry Avenue property, Jefferson County Commissioners said Thursday two new groups have expressed interest in the site.

Commissioner Tony Morelli said a church group contacted him, “they seem real interested, but they want the (Pico) park, too,” while Commissioner Jake Kleineke said a “coalition of folks doing home schooling for about 100 students” is also eyeing it.

“It’s probably more than they need right now, but they could possibly grow into it,” Kleineke said.

Pico Park had been part of the Cherry Avenue property, but commissioners had it resurveyed so they could sell the building without losing control of the park.

Commissioner Eric Timmons said he’s been getting calls from residents about the park, too, “they want to know what we’re going to do with it.”

“There’s some private individuals who wouldn’t mind taking it over, buying it,” Timmons said, adding he’d “like to see what Steubenville would do with it, it’s right in the middle of the city.”

“My opinion is we just need to get moving,” Morelli said. “We don’t want to pay utility bills again this winter.”

Timmons said they need to make sure whoever takes it on is aware of what they’re taking on.

“It’s a pretty massive structure; there’s a lot there. It’s big,” Kleineke said, adding, “Whoever gets it, we want to be sure they’re on a trajectory to (succeed).”

Commissioners authorized the Engineer’s Office to advertise for bids for pavement repairs along county Road 26/Coal Hill Road, a joint project with the city of Steubenville. The engineer’s estimate is $658,624.

They also signed a certificate guaranteeing the Jefferson County Drug Task Force will “abide by all the conditions for confidential funds,” a requirement to finalize their $38,944 Violent Crime Reduction Grant award for 2025. The funds will help pay for task force operations this year.

The courthouse will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day.