7/8/2025 City Council Overview
Council goes to bat for the Steubenville Little League
Corissa’s Comments:
Council came in swinging during last night’s meeting, continuously bringing their constituents’ worries to the light and striving to find a solution for them. Teddy Gorman and Royal Mayo took a united front against the Parks and Recreation Department for wanting to take 15% of proceeds from the Steubenville Baseball Association’s games; Dave Albaugh lead the defense of the public’s frustration of the broken Jim Woods Splash Pad, stating that the Parks and Recreation Director should have known about the issue prior to the Facebook fiasco; and the Mayor asked council to reconsider their rejection of the Dollar General Market, citing that no other businesses have taken interest in the vacant lot and any business is better than none. Without a doubt, council was packed with thoughtful questions, quick responses, and passionate leaders.
So, say what you will about your favorite or least favorite council member, I can tell you that I saw 6 council members, our mayor, and our city manager all engage in lively discussion to find solutions for the people of our great city.
What’s the lesson in this? They care. Even if you grumble to your friends, rightfully issue a complaint to the city, or go Steubie-viral on Facebook, each one of our council members cares for our city. The way in which they choose to take action might be different than what you would choose, but that’s why they have emails and phone numbers to contact, right? So! If you have a complaint or a query, reach out to them! Your city councilors represent YOU; share with them your concerns.
General:
Joel Walker, City Councilman At-Large, was absent
June 10 minutes were accepted, as amended.
July 1 Minutes were accepted, as written
Both were seconded and passed.
Gorman abstained in voting, due to having been previously absent.
Petitions & Communications:
Karly Haley, Clerk of Council, read a letter regarding a liquor license for a Pilot Travel Center. This letter was accepted into the official minutes and made a part of the record.
Ordinances and Resolutions:
Nothing tonight.
Since there were no ordinances on the docket, Mayor Barilla, said that he wanted to bring up the topic again of selling the Grant School Lot to Dollar General so it could be made into a Dollar General Market. The mayor stated that he knew that council had previously voted against this sale, but, since there were only a few months remaining on his term, he felt it was his duty to try once more for the sake of the South End residents.
The mayor pointed out that the lot had been empty for over 20 years, with few people showing interest. Few business in the area have the means to buy the land as the cost to reclaim soil alone is roughly 300k, not counting the cost to build a building, redo the parking lot, or any other additions a business would want to make.
Barilla claimed that a previous manager of the Fort Steuben Mall told him that no one, other than Dollar General, wants the site. This is why he is advocating for council to reconsider their decision. He expressed concern for the ability of the South End residents to be able to walk/access downtown for the Steubenville Grocery Box or the difficult reality of only 2 bags per person are allowed on the city bus, making a Kroger trip challenging. He remarked that this market would provide downtown Steubenville residents with “more than pop and candy”, pointing out that dairy and other healthy options would be available.
“They are willing to pay for the reclamation land which is about $300,000. They will build the building; they will pave the lot they will put lights up; they will pay taxes; they will hire workers it is part of an economic development.”
The mayor shared the story of a storage unit company who wanted to buy the lot a few years back, but council had rejected the offer, as storage units often bring crime/negative outcomes. He acknowledged that these were some of the concerns for the potential Dollar General Market, but urged council to reconsider, as something was better than nothing.
Reports of Committees:
Finance: (McManamon, Hernon, Gorman)
Nothing tonight.
Service: (Hernon, Hoover, Walker)
The Sunset resurfacing project has begun, the work is being done overnight. The estimated completion date is July 30th.
Safety & Health: (Mayo, Walker, Albaugh)
Nothing tonight.
Planning: (Hernon, Mayo, McManamon)
6th Ward Councilman, Michael Hernon, sunshined an ordinance adopting the fiscal year FY2025-FY2028-9 consolidation plan.
Public Utility (Mayo, Hoover, Walker)
Nothing tonight.
Building & Grounds: (McManamon, Hernon, Gorman)
Nothing tonight.
Parks & Rec: (Mayo, McManamon, Albaugh)
In light of the recent Jim Woods Splash Pad debacle, 1st Ward Councilman, Dave Albaugh, asked City Manager Jim Mavromatis if he had passed on the information for OMEGA grants to the Steubenville Parks and Recreation Director, Lori Fetherolf. Mavromatis responded in the affirmative.
2nd Ward Councilman, Tracy McManamon, called for a Parks and Rec Committee meeting to discuss possible Jim Woods Park enhancement opportunities. This will be on 7/15/25 prior to council. See the city’s website to confirm start time.
In addition to fighting for a better Jim Woods Park, our city council members stepped up to the plate in support of the Steubenville Baseball Association’s (SBA) Little League team. 4th Ward Councilman, Royal Mayo, relayed his frustration and shock upon hearing that the Parks and Recreation Board created a mandate that their team (and others) must give 15% of their proceeds to the department.
Corissa’s Comment: You might be asking yourself, “Mayo is on the committee how did he not know?” Well, in Steubenville, there is a Committee and a Board for each area. Councilmen Mayo, McManamon, Albaugh are on the committee, not the board. Other than knowing that Lori is the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, I could not find who was on the board from the city’s website. We had to contact the city for a public records request to find out who was on the board, those people can be found on our Steubenville officials map.
Mayo conjectured that this policy stemmed from the department having charged an out-of-town softball organization for playing on the fields. Mayo shared his support of charging visiting teams, but since this was the Steubenville Baseball Association group, he was not in favor of requesting a portion of their proceeds.
Mayo further pointed out that the SBA had already spent over $150,000 to help renovate the ball fields as well as currently pledging $10,000 to get new batting cages.
Mayo additionally sung the praises of 5th Ward Councilman and SAB President, Teddy Gorman, for charitably cutting the grass near the fields everyday, when it should be the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Department. Gorman does it because, seemingly, the city won’t/doesn’t.
With this, Gorman chimed in, agreeing with Mayo and sharing his surprise and disappointment at the department’s decision. Gorman emphasized that any money the organization gets goes directly into support their athletes. The team is not a for-profit organization. As the former principal of Steubenville City Schools, Gorman knew the cost of batting cages and stated that the SBA knew the importance of the fields, which was why they pledged $10,000 towards the $18,000 that the Parks and Recreation department already had toward batting cages.
Gorman ended with agreeing that the city should charge visiting teams, but not local groups, specifically when their teams are made up of tax-paying families.
2nd Ward Councilman, Tracy McManamon, asked Law Director Costa Mastros, if the council could override their decision.
Costa stated they could not. However, they could appeal it by following the process laid out in the city charter.
SECTION 6. PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. [source]
D. Appeals:
Any citizen may petition any action of the Parks and Recreation Board by obtaining no less than two hundred (200) valid signatures of qualified electors of the City of Steubenville and presenting the said petition with the signatures, thereon, to the Steubenville City Council no later than twenty-one (21) days after the action by the Parks and Recreation Board. City Council by a vote of at least five (5) members of the Council shall override the action of the Parks and Recreation Board and shall make that action by the Parks and Recreation Board null and void. (Amended 11-3-87; 11-3-92; 11-4-14)
Corissa’s Comment: I would sign this!
Comment below if you would/wouldn’t and why. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Since it could not be immediately overturned, McManamon and Mayo suggested the city issue a payment to the SBA in the amount charges to the organization.
Gorman stated if no resolution could be reached, the SBA will likely rescind its $10,000 pledge. He did not want to have to result to a “tit for tat”, he said. However, he felt that it was wrong of the department to make such a decision without having conferred with the Parks and Recreation Committee or council as a whole.
Transportation: (Mayo, Hoover, Gorman)
Nothing tonight.
Economic Development: (McManamon, Hernon, Gorman)
McManamon asked the mayor to invite the previous Fort Steuben Mall manager, who is also a developer, to council for him to present his case. This will be on July 22nd, pending his availability.
With the posting of our 7/1/25 City Council Overview, 3rd Ward Councilwoman, Heather Hoover, wanted to issue a statement about the impression that council dismissed the Steubenville Grocery Box (SGB) the previous week.
The day succeeding the grocers going to council, she went to the SGB and spoke with owners Greg Demary and Marc Barnes. Since they had stated they felt ushered away from the mic during public forum, she explained they don’t usually engage with citizens during public forum, rather they listen to what they have to say.
Hoover and the local grocers spoke on how they were wanting to make the city aware of what they do and the different ways they could provide for the downtown. Hoover admitted that their prices are higher than big box chains, as are most small businesses, but they are working to support the community in anyway they can.
Corissa’s Comment: ALSO the money that they get goes directly to the employees, families, and back to the community - not some big CEO who doesn’t live here nor care about Steubenville at all.
Hoover communicated that the SBG speaks highly of its downtown clientele and that they will often carry certain products if put in their suggestion box. She even shared a story of one of their customers would buy a gallon of milk every week but wanted chocolate milk too. So, he asked the SBG to get Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup so he could do this. They did just that.
Coming soon to the Grocery Box is a click service, allowing for their online store to hold all of their inventory for online pick-up or delivery orders. Additionally, they will be adding a commercial kitchen to be able to prepare and better offer fresh options to the citizens of downtown Steubenville.
Regarding the Dollar General Market, Hoover expressed that she’s hesitant on what it represents but is willing to go that way if the council thinks they need it.
Pride: (Hoover, Albaugh, Walker)
Hoover reached out to Lisa from the Water Department who said that she was able to provide them a list of properties which are to be demolished, but, she has no record of what has already been demolished. No one reports back to them.
Corissa’s Comment: the reason the water department has this list, is they have to shut off the water prior to any demolitions.
Mayo remarked that it was absurd that no one reports have to the water department. He suggested that this be required by the city/any company doing demolitions.
Reports of Administrative Officers:
City Manager: (Jim Mavromatis)
Mavromatis reported on the Jim Woods Splash Pad:
The splash pad was installed in 2009.
There are 10 jets.
As of 7/8/25, 4 jets do not work, either due to clogging or their rubber diaphragms needing replacement.
An electrician looked at the computer software that runs the pad and found it to be sound with no glitches/errors.
The splash pad area needs an additional pad to go around it, graded to be level with the concrete, for safety reasons.
Albaugh commented that it seemed that the power washing that was done fixed a lot of the jets. On Monday, July 7, there were only jets 2 working. 6 now work. He suggested adding a routine maintenance to avoid some of these issues in the future.
Corissa’s Comment: Houston Sexton, owner of S&S Softwash LLC, donated his time and service to the city and power washed the Jim Wood Splash pad. We found out about this from Mayor Elect, Ralph Petrella’s, Facebook post.
Ralph Petrella's FB Post Mayo raised the question: why didn’t the Parks and Recreation Department not know the pad was broken? He argued that they should be doing due diligence and be “more proactive than reactive on issues”.
Albaugh echoed this, saying that they get a weekly report from Lori where she purports that she visits each park every week. Albaugh expressed his confusion that if she’s visiting these parks weekly, why did she not know of the issues?
Mavromatis gave Lori the benefit of the doubt and said that the maintenance crews check the bathrooms at 7am, but the splash pad doesn’t open until 11am.
Albaugh understood this, but still stuck with his statement that, even if that is the schedule, an extra effort needs to be made to verify the equipment is working. He added that the bathrooms also ought to be cleaned more than once a day.
Hoover defended the Facebook posts by saying that the city can’t be upset with people turning to social media.
Mavromatis disagreed, claiming that Facebook isn’t a communication platform. People need to call and email. Those will be addressed.
Hoover disagreed, saying that the responses are not always prompt.
Both agreed to disagree and respected the other’s perspective and opinion.
Mayo complained that whoever owns the old Advanced Auto property, has grass nearly 2 feet high.
Corissa’s Comment: Since it’s private property, the city cannot cut it. To do so, they would need to go through the same citation process that exists for residents.
Regarding the renovations on City Hall. On Friday, July 11, the ramp and steps leading to council chambers will be fixed. Other than that, the only large remaining renovation project are the doors, which were on a 16 week backorder. Once that is all done, Mavromatis will take the council members on a tour.
Law Director: (Costa Mastros)
Announce that the red line and charter issues are now on the city’s website. They will be posted to Facebook this week. It will also be announced in the Herald Star shortly.
Miscellaneous Reports:
McManamon asked Karly to send a thank you letter to Houston for donating his time and resources to power wash the Jim Woods Splash Pad.
Hernon congratulated the City of Steubenville, Historic Fort Steuben, Police Department, and anyone who was involved in the 4th of July celebration. He finished with saying that it was a, “spectacular day”.
Mayo inquired for an update on the Heritage Apartment case. A tenant of the building said that there will be a court hearing on July 16th at 9am.
Mayo shared his thoughts on the Dollar General Market, stating that it’s largely just an unhealthy food alternative, saying “it’s a convenient store”. Although, in light of no other businesses showing interest in the lot, he was willing to reconsider. However, he wants to make this a business deal in favor of Steubenville. If they want it enough to pay $300,000 to just get the land, then the city should make sure to make this a deal in favor of the city, and not just sell it to get rid of it. He ended with saying, “I’m 100% against [it]. But if we do it, it’s going to be a business move”.
Corissa’s Comment: Strong Towns is largely against dollar stores. Some of our leaders even went to council when it was first being presented to share our thoughts and concerns. Local business owners created a petition to shut it down.
Read The Dollar Store Invasion to understand why Strong Towns is against these types of development, even if they create jobs.
I want something better for downtown Steubenville. Nonetheless, if no other business tried to buy it, even after saying they didn’t want the DGM there, — should the city reconsider? Comment below your thoughts.
Mayor Barilla shared that the mayor from a small city in Italy reached out to him with the desire to make Steubenville, Ohio be the official Sister City of theirs. Due to the strong Italian heritage in Steubenville, and some of the city’s residents having family here in Steubenville, he thinks it could be a great partnership. The mayor said he didn’t know what steps this would take nor what this would even entail, but he wanted to share it with council.
Corissa’s Comment: This city is near the Adriatic coast, but I didn’t catch the name
Public Forum:
Corissa McCalister [me!] asked who to talk to about the adding/removal of SVRTA bus benches. Mayo directed her to contact SVRTA directly.
A citizen thanked the city and police department for a wonderful 4th of July.
Adjournment Time:
8:23pm
Overview was written by Corissa McCalister, Secretary of Strong Towns Steubenville