DEPARTING — Mike Eroshevich, Jefferson County Water and Sewer District director, right, told commissioners Thursday his last official day on the job will be Dec. 1. -- Linda Harris

STEUBENVILLE — Mike Eroshevich, Jefferson County Water and Sewer District director, told commissioners Thursday his last official day on the job will be Dec. 1.

Eroshevich said he’s ready to move on to other things.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he said after the meeting. “In the past, things held me back — I wasn’t confident (about leaving), I didn’t want to leave the commission or the department high and dry. But Jonathan (Assistant Director Jonathan Sgalla) is very capable.”

He told commissioners the county needs “somebody with new ideas, fresh ideas, somebody with some more energy than I have at this point in life” and said he wouldn’t do it if he “did not feel confident that the leadership is in place for a seamless transition.” He recommended Sgalla for the job.

“Personally, I’m worn out,” he said. “I’ve been there 11 years. They need somebody who is ready, willing and able to put 100 percent into it and that’s just not me at this point. It’s not something I’m interested in doing. There are other interests, other opportunities, that I would rather explore.”

He said while there’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of water and sewer improvements, “there’s never a great time to go, there’s always something going on.”

“But on the district side, I think they’re in good hands, there’s good people there, with Jonathan and Andrew (Dawson.)”

Dawson, with Arcadis Engineering, is the department’s engineering consultant.

Eroshevich said there are plenty of challenges ahead: Jefferson County has spent more than $40 million over the last decade updating water and sewer infrastructure, he said, “but they’re going to have to spend more than that in the next decade in Amsterdam, Bergholz, Irondale, Richmond and Smithfield — those waterlines are all going to have to be replaced and they’re going to have to rehabilitate a water tank every year. And on the sewer side, the county is going to have to replace three treatment plants and do upgrades at Barber’s Hollow. That’s a lot of work.”

Commissioners reluctantly accepted his resignation, telling Eroshevich they appreciate his service and knowledge though they’d hoped he’d stay on longer.

In other business, commissioners established a new department and line items for payment of expenses related to their ownership of the former Eastern Gateway Community College building and shifted nearly $150,600 in unappropriated funds into the account to cover salaries, contract services and other expenses. The expenditures will be reimbursed by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, they said.

Commissioners also established a new account for donations to the county animal shelter, depositing a check for nearly $46,100 from the estate of the late Ernest “Bud” Rose. Administrators of the Ernest L. Rose Revocable Trust said the funds are intended “for the care and maintenance of the animals” the shelter cares for. The funds cannot be used for salaries “unless necessary for the safety and well-being of the animals” and would be rescinded in the event the facility would no longer provide services for both cats and dogs.

Stephanie Chester was reappointed to the Board of Developmental Disabilities and will serve through Dec. 31, 2029. Commissioners also were told another board member’s term expires at the end of the year but, due to term limits, they’ll have to advertise for candidates interested in serving in his stead.