STEUBENVILLE — Jefferson County commissioners renewed funding for a popular youth program this week, though they did not increase the amount as organizers had hoped.

A year ago, commissioners granted Sycamore Center $25,000 in OneOhio opioid prevention funds for programming designed to keep kids “off the streets, off drugs and moving in a positive direction.” With reductions in federal funding, organizers had hoped for additional support.

“I’m very cautious,” Commissioner Tony Morelli said. “It seems like a lot of money but there’s been a lot of pain to get that money. And I know me, personally, I’ve buried a few children of friends that earned that money…It’s not going to last as long as people think it’s going to last so it’s like gold.”

Bauman said that while all are welcome, the focus is on pulling kids “on the edges” away from life choices detrimental to them and their community.

“We make everything free of charge, the food is free of charge, all the programming is free of charge,” he said, noting federal funding programs are drying up. “But since they’re non-payers, we’ve got to find a way (to generate funds).”

Bill Holt, executive director of the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities, said it “takes all of us making sure we do different pieces of the puzzle to really make sure we’re reaching kids.”

“This is a piece of the puzzle that is really important to the community, the county’s portion of the opioid settlement,” Holt added. “It’s not going to last forever, it is time-limited. But I do think that these kinds of programs have a lasting impact and are long-term investments in the community, they’ll pay dividends for years to come.”

Bauman said the program offered 18 summer camps last year and 26 this year, all free of charge. “And we’re up to 550 kids that we’re handing out food to each week,” he said. He also noted the cost of keeping a juvenile in detention for a year is about $203,000.

“What we’re trying to do is save the county money by keeping those kids off the street, keeping them off drugs and giving them something positive to do after school year-round,” he said.

Commissioners also declined to pay a $167,786 invoice from Johnson Controls for the water meter project, citing ongoing questions about accountability after flooding damage at the Edison gymnasium.

“I’m not going to vote for it,” Commissioner Eric Timmons said. “I don’t think anybody’s taken responsibility yet. They’ve had ample time. We found out there was a change in who ordered the person to do it but nobody is still taking responsibility as far as I know.”

“I’m with you, I’m not gonna vote for it,” Commissioner Tony Morelli said. “I won’t vote to give any more checks until we’re sure the customer is taken care of. I think they will, I think it will work out well, but it hasn’t.”

Commissioners told the Rev. Fr. Drake McCallister of Holy Family Church they are amenable to turning over the Pico Park property to the congregation but first need to determine whether it was included in the Port Authority’s application to the Land Bank for demolition funding tied to an old armory building.

Timmons noted the property had previously been offered to Steubenville, but parks officials were hesitant to take on another site, prompting officials to explore other options.

McCallister said the church would be willing to maintain the park and “let it be a release for the neighborhood.”

Kleineke said officials need to determine whether the site is included in the land bank grant application before proceeding.

“Give us some time, we need to see where we are in the grant process,” he said. “I believe if we get the grant the armory will be demolished and they would prepare (the site) for first-time homebuyers.”

Kleineke said there could be room for up to nine homes at the site.

“All three of us are in agreement, we’d like to keep it a park, we’re just not ready right now to do it,” he said. “We know what you want to do and we’re all on the same page. We want to end up with a nice park, a well-maintained park.”

“It’s a big thing for people who live around it, for sure,” Timmons said. “I’ve seen the litter around it when kids are there.”

Also Thursday, commissioners — Signed a quitclaim deed for parcels at Friendship Park on the recommendation of Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Blake, who said the legal description should have been updated after a 2006 survey but was never placed on record. Kleineke said it “needs to be done in order to receive some grants.”

— Signed FAA certifications required for the airpark’s taxiway extension grant, which will provide about $3,125,378 to the county.

— Awarded the County Road 43 slip repair contract to Ohio-West Virginia Excavating for just under $152,303. The engineer’s estimate was just under $130,337.

— Emerged from a 10-minute executive session to approve transfer of ownership of the Verizon cell tower on college property to the county. It had previously been held by Eastern Gateway.

— Awarded the contract for the 9-1-1 center’s new dispatch consoles to Contant Technologies Inc. for $102,445.

— Amended the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center lease for space in the Tower building to a month-to-month basis.