Market study will look at best uses for Jefferson County’s 62-acre parcel on John Scott Highway
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STEUBENVILLE--Commissioners said Thursday they need a 'best use' kind of study for a county-owned 62-acre property on John Scott Highway before they make any decisions about how to use it.
On Thursday, commissioners agreed to pick up the tab for a market analysis and real property appraisal of their three parcels, part of the Eastern Gateway campus before it folded. Used exclusively for educational purposes since the mid-1960s, once the old college closed the title reverted to the county. Youngstown State University now occupies the building and main parking lot, but the remaining 62 acres is available for development.
"This is a big day, it's a big step," Commissioner Tony Morelli said. "It's not 'our' property, it's the residents' property...I've been here six years talking to developers who want to go there--I'm not calling them, they're calling us. It's a hot piece of property. We want to make sure we get the maximum amount of money for it."
The market study, commissioned through the port authority, will "lay out the development possibilities" for the property, including details like if it should be sold or if they should issue an RFQ to developers," all of it designed to "determine the best course of action for taxpayers," Executive Director Robert Naylor said.
"It's a planning tool (that) will help guide the decision on how the transaction for the corner and the rest of the property occur, in what order, what are the possibilities of what can be there," he said. "They'll look at surrounding uses, establish what the possibilities could be. A single transaction on that corner could affect the rest of the property, for better or worse."
Work will begin Nov. 1 and take about 12 weeks to complete.
Naylor, Port Authority Chair Mike Gill, Steubenville City Manager Mike Johnson, and Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Blake met with commissioners behind closed doors for roughly 30 minutes before emerging to take action.
Naylor said afterward there's been "a lot of collaboration, a lot of cooperation between the board of commissioners, the city of Steubenville and the Port Authority."
He also pointed out YSU has around 1,000 students after just four months in Steubenville.
Commissioners also:
*Accepted the engineer's recommendation to award the County Road 54 slip repair project to the low bidder, Ohio-West Virginia Excavating of Powhatan Point, for $168,313.
*Were notified the Drug Task Force is hoping to decommission its oldest undercover vehicle due to safety concerns and mechanical issues and purchase a replacement.
*Accepted the resignation of Michele Santin as Job & Family Services director. Santin is retiring, effective Nov. 30.
*Accepted the resignation of Michael Mehalik from the Family Services Committee. Mehalick, former superintendent of the Board of Development Disabilities, joined the committee in 2009 and remained on after his retirement in 2017. He no longer lives in Jefferson County.
*Rescheduled their Thanksgiving week meeting to Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 9 a.m.