REORGANIZATION — Jake Kleineke, right, was chosen as this year’s chair of the Jefferson County commissioners during Monday’s reorganizational meeting. He was joined by commissioners Eric Timmons, left, and Tony Morelli. -- Linda Harris

STEUBENVILLE — Jake Kleineke was chosen Monday to lead the Jefferson County commissioners this year.

During Monday’s reorganization meeting, Kleineke thanked his fellow commissioners, Eric Timmons and Tony Morelli.

“These two guys next to me made me feel like I was on a team,” he said. “They made it a smooth first year for me. From the first day I walked in the door, I had their support and backing — they helped me understand what (a commissioner) can and can’t do legally.”

A business owner and entrepreneur, Kleineke said government functions nothing like the private sector.

“(It’s) a bit different, the guardrails are somewhat different on time constraints and different decisions you can help with,” he said. “These gentlemen definitely helped me through all that, so I understand it a lot better than I did when I first walked through the door.”

Kleineke said since joining the board he’s been “really involved” with development of a second spec building at the county’s industrial park “and I’m real proud to be part of the land bank — we went from tearing buildings down to now building brand new homes, and we’re hoping to grow that and over the next few years. We’re hoping it really takes off and we can give young people graduating from high school and colleges a reason to be here, to stay here, build families and build our communities and economy.

He pointed out the county has “fixed a lot of roads, a lot of bridges, slips and water-line projects” during the past year while “moving forward on waterline projects in Amsterdam and Bergholz. And, we’re trying to figure out a way to get water and sewage … toward Laurel Hills, just dabbling with ideas to see if we can make the county grow. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more things that we haven’t even seen yet come down the road that we’re going to have to deal with — it will be an exciting time.”

Timmons said he’s “looking forward to another successful year” for Jefferson County.

“There’s a lot going on,” he said, ticking off a list that includes the decision by Youngstown State University to offer classes in Steubenville “and several other things that are going to be game-changers.”

“We’ve got a lot going on in this county,” Morelli agreed. “A lot of it isn’t seen by the public, but I think more will (come out) this year.”

Morelli said they’re “close to coming out with a request for proposals to develop some property. We have some developers who are eager to see that and come to Jefferson County.”

He also pointed to the opening of the Milton Jefferson Residential Treatment Center, which he said was long overdue.

“And, so far it’s going very well — the sheriff’s very happy that instead of having to drive people all over the state” they can go there.

Morelli pointed out the county will be hiring a grant writer in the near future, “which is a big move for the county” and has updated the building and safety features at the old McCullough Childrens Home, which means the Department of Jobs and Family Services is “certified and can take children from all over the state of Ohio.”

He also pointed to new buildings at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and the county’s new history showcase in the courthouse lobby as well as a multi-million-dollar water meter replacement project that will ensure customers pay for the water they’re actually using rather than have it chalked up as lost water.