Progress 2016 Edition I by Herald-Star

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK/ENERGY MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

PROGRESS I — SECTION A

Contributed

Hancock Auto, a $5 million, state-of-the-art Chrysler-Jeep dealership, took shape throughout 2015 on the former Newell stadium property, which was acquired by the BDC when the property was put up for sale. The site was one of several BDC purchases that proved the public-private partnership works for redevelopment of lands in Hancock and Brooke counties. The dealership opened in mid-January.

Success in all directions Business Development Corp. points to projects helping to lower area unemployment, dramatically raise payroll

By PAUL GIANNAMORE Staff writer The Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle can cite successes from Chester to Beech Bottom. And one of its bigger, yet-to-be, projects shows just how much of a long-haul redevelopment of sites can be. Pat Ford, BDC executive director, notes that the corporation reorganized in 2009-10 and statistics show that the course it’s taken is working. For example, the unemployment rate has fallen by nearly half. In 2010, Brooke County had an unemployment rate of 11.8 percent and Hancock County was at 12.8 percent. In October, the last report available, Brooke was at 6.2 percent and Hancock County was at 6.7 percent. The BDC has been involved in preserving 401 jobs and in the creation of 1,205. Payroll is up by $8.3 million in Hancock County and $49.5 million in Brooke County, for a total of $57.8 million in the two counties, just from BDC-involved projects since 2009. Ford said total public and private investment for those projects is $168 million, working out to $1.69 million in public investment and $88.6 million in private investment in Hancock County, and $2.65 million in public investment and $75.06 million in private

investment in Brooke County. BDC has helped obtain grants totaling $4.2 million. That would include some hoped-for pending grants, including a $600,000 coalition grant being sought in conjunction with the Jefferson County Port Authority and the BrookeHancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission for brownfield reclamation; $200,000 being sought for cleanup of the former Jimmy Carey Stadium, $200,000 for cleanup of issues at Williams Country Club, a $160,000 Benedum Foundation site-ready program grant and $200,000 from the Infrastructure Jobs and Development Council. Grants have come from sources, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the West Virginia Development Office, the Benedum Foundation, Wells Fargo and Huntington banks and the Infrastructure Jobs and Development Council. The work has led to projects as diverse as the conversion of the former Oak Glen stadium site into a $5 million investment for the new Hancock County Chrysler dealership to the re-use of a former fire station on Pennsylvania Avenue as a new Domino’s sit-down restaurant to a successful industrial park developed out of the former Wheeling Corrugating

mill in Beech Bottom. A REORGANIZED BDC “What’s very exciting about these numbers is, when I was hired back in 2009, I was directed to do three things: Work with the executive committee to reorganize the BDC — at the time it was accused of being Weirton-centric and not having a broad cross section of private and public interests on the board spanning from Chester to Beech Bottom,” Ford said. “So we made it more regional, expanded the technical capacity of the board members so that it includes not only Relators but bankers and insurers, developers and CEOs in industry. It’s the service industries, the education industry. Then, we increased the public representation beyond the two boards of county commissioners and the city of Weirton, so it was restructured to create opportunities for other municipalities to invest in the BDC.

“Now, you see all of those interests and a broad representation of municipalities,” he said. Second, Ford said, was the need for a plan. The BDC was awarded a $200,000 grant from the U.S. EDA to prepare an economic adjustment strategy. The AECOM engineering consulting firm of Atlanta performed the study. The BDC at the time didn’t have property it could try to develop or even any jobs to say that it had created. “The BDC at the time was a clearinghouse of information. If a prospect called, we’d tell them what the state offered and what was available,” he said. “We were brokering communications.” The board determined to focus on what properties presented opportunities if they were added to the BDC’s real estate inventory, or if the BDC needed to acquire and redevelop sites itself. The study helped identify industries that should be specific tarSee BDC Page 2A Á

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gets — energy, health care and transportation — and sites that should be the focus. Third, Ford said, the BDC had to be sure that when it went after specific targets for location in the two counties that the work force would be able to perform the work required. That led to collaboration with West Virginia Northern Community College to help get training available to adapt the work force to the needs of new industries interested in the area. AN ACTIVE BDC “What’s really exciting and refreshing and comforting is that what we were charged to do as a board and staff in 2010, I think the data has grounded in truth that we’re doing exactly what we were charged with,” he said. Ford credits his board of directors for being engaged and representative of the area. He said there was some uncertainty when the study pointed out the industries to focus upon, but it also pointed out the sizes of sites that would be needed and the locations that would best serve those industries. “Jump ahead five years and we’ve added thousands of acres to the inventory,” he said, noting BDC work at the former Wheeling Corrugating, some ArcelorMittal sites, Follansbee Steel, Mountaineer Race Track, Casino and Resort’s surrounding properties and the TS&T former pottery site. “We were able to get the sites identified, surveyed and marketing brochures prepared as well as getting them on the lists from the state for national and international prospects and listed on our website, as well as working with real estate brokers to get them on their lists for the people they represent, and to get the marketing pieces into the hands of site location specialists,” he said. “By doing everything that the plan charged us with doing, the consultants said to expect positive results. They didn’t quantify it, but when you cut unemployment by nearly 1 percent a year, create 1,200 and preserve 400 jobs, then you can say we were involved in attracting new payroll and private investment,” Ford said. Further, employment numbers put the Steubenville-Weirton area at the highest, measured by percentage growth, increase in construction jobs for more than a year of any metropolitan area in the U.S. “It tells me we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Ford said, quickly adding, “but our work is not done. There are 800 surplus acres that will need to be repurposed at ArcelorMittal. There are 120 acres to repurpose at Beech Bottom. There is 100,000 square feet of building space in the community that needs to be filled. There are 2,000 acres available in Hancock County around Mountaineer that needs to be developed and 8 acres at TS&T that needs to be developed. We still have a lot to do. “We inherited, as a board, a void of 12,000 jobs left from Weirton Steel, and that’s a big

hole to fill. The population declined and still unemployment is close to 7 percent. It needs to be knocked down further. “We need to do more to bring in business here, to put food on the tables of the families living here or those who want to move here and we need to get really aggressive in getting abandoned properties back on the tax rolls,” Ford continued. “There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to maintain our infrastructure or to add to our infrastructure, and that costs money. The best way to get money is to increase the tax base by providing more taxable real estate in here. TS&T “2016 is about tearing down and building, tearing down the old and building the new,” he said. That would include TS&T, a prime example of economic development being a long-term game. The pottery last produced goods in the 1980s. It’s been dormant since. And, because of its long past in industrial use, there are environmental issues that must be cleared before the site can be re-used. Among grants obtained last year was money to clean up the riverbank at the old pottery site, and now the West Virginia EDA has approved a $2 million loan to build a new industrial building on the site. The BDC obtained the site in July 2011. “It’s the first construction project for the BDC, and we’re really excited about that,” Ford said. “It’s taken four and a half years for us, as an agency fully focused on the site, spending $115,000 to buy the site and investing $1.1 million in state and philanthropic grants and federal money to get it to the point where we can build there,” he said. “That’s why private industry doesn’t repurpose old sites.” Ford said a prospect wants a building on the site and the state has approved the construction grant. Grants also are going to help remove asbestos and lead from the Williams Country Club lodge building as well as a former bus garage at the old Carey Stadium site, where a battery recycling company is ready to do business. Ford said bids on all three projects should be

coming soon. Ford said for reuse of an old factory or other brownfield, “The holy grail is to get a certificate of completion.” He explained that banking regulations prevent any talk of financing on a brownfield unless it’s been certified as being ready to go, clean, again. “If you want financing for a brownfield you have to get one piece of paper, a certificate of completion from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. That required four and one half years of work, and you need to have very patient funding partners. You need to have very patient elected officials. You need to have a very patient community. You need to have a very patient board of directors when you go down this path. You have to have the community in mind and the community’s interest at heart,” Ford said. “Only having that gives someone the patience to spend four and one half years to clean up a 7-acre piece of property for investment. But, that’s what we’re supposed to do. Economic development authorities are to intervene in a market where there is a gap that the private sector cannot fill,” he said. And, because of topography, the Northern Panhandle has little choice but to clean and repurpose brownfields. “Much of our area is vertical. The only opportunity for funding is to repurpose brownfields, and that’s probably the last pot of money from the federal government that is competitive in nature but that if you give them a good project, they’re going to fund it,” he said.

See BDC Page 3A Á

Contributed

The E.T. Weir lodge at Williams Country Club in Weirton is the topic of a grant application that would help pay for remediation of lead and asbestos in the structure, to further the future growth and development of Williams.

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BDC Continued from Page 2A

A study by the Benedum Foundation found the typical brownfield re-use project needs 14 different funding streams to develop. “And that’s why the private sector cannot tackle them,” Ford said. “At TS&T, we have 18 different funding streams for a $1.4 million cleanup effort and that’s just what it took to queue it up for a $2 million building. That’s why these are such challenging properties and why you see them all across the Northeast. No private entity will do that, and none of these funding sources is eligible to go to a private entity. Only public or nonprofits can get the grants and they range from $1,400 to $500,000 on this project. There is so little money out there for economic development and everyone goes after it and it is very competitive.” Ford said it took as much time and effort to secure a $1,400 grant for TS&T as it did to seek the $500,000. “We knew it would take $3.5 million to $4 million when we bought the property. You just have to figure out how to package it. The Hancock County commissioners are a strong partner and investor in the BDC and they made economic development a priority. Com-

Contributed

The concept sit-down Domino’s on Pennsylvania Avenue opened as part of the Business Development Corp.’s efforts. The BDC bought a former fire station and helped bring the Domino’s project to fruition.

missioners Jeff Davis, Dsnny Greathouse and Randy Swartzmiller at the time picked the most challenging project for us, one that had sat for 30 years and three previous governors had promised but didn’t take it down,” he said. Hancock County loaned $500,000 to the BDC, which used it as seed money to seek more money. AID BEYOND THE PANHANDLE Ford credited Patrick Kirby, director of the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, with helping

advance the TS&T project. He arranged a meeting with U.S. EPA regional officials in Philadelphia, where a virtual SWAT team of environmental experts went to work for the area. “The land revitalization Team includes site recovery specialists, attorneys, environmental experts — a group of extremely smart, well-connected and resourceful professionals within the USEPA,” Ford said. “They are problem solvers. They worked for us at no charge and their end game is to clean up properties and bring in jobs.

There is no project they do without jobs at the end. “They charted the course for TS&T. We laid out the Brooke Glass project, and they charted the course for us. We laid out Jimmy Carey, and they charted the course for us. We laid out Hancock Chrysler, and they charted the course for us. We laid out the old Weirton Heights Volunteer Fire Department project for Domino’s, and they charted the course for us,” he said. “With every one of those projects we had assistance from the

USEPA, the West Virginia DEP, the brownfield assistance center, the Benedum Foundation, local mayors, local county commissioners and a civic nonprofit community task force involved,” he said. FROM NORTH TO SOUTH Ford credited the Hancock County commissioners with making the investments that made several of the BDC’s projects a reality, including the opening of the $5 million, state-of-the-art Hancock County Chrysler dealership at the former Oak Glen

stadium site, preserving a dozen jobs and adding as many as 28 more. The commissioners allowed the BDC to take the abandoned Weirton Heights Volunteer Fire Station and obtain a $500 million private investment, retaining 11 jobs and adding 20 new jobs at Domino’s. Metal Conversion Technology has a lease with an option to purchase the former Carey Stadium site once environmental cleanup is complete, including asbestos and lead removal from the former transportation building. The total investment to the site is expected to be $3 million, including a new structure where the stadium was, during three years with all new jobs — a dozen to start and as many as two dozen eventually — for the battery recycler. “Had the Hancock commissioners not gone all in and created the platform, we wouldn’t enjoy the success we have seen regionwide. It is all of Brooke and Hancock county and sets up a model for others to follow,” Ford said. Ford said private investment is continuing across the area, including the investments by Mike Chek and Mike Bauman at the Village at Colliers See BDC Page 4A Á

Contributed

The former TS&T Pottery site in northern Hancock County awaits further cleanup, but progress is being made toward its eventual redevelopment. BDC bought the property in 2012 and has spent four years putting together a complex funding package to enable site remediation and marketing to obtain a new end-user.

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Barney’s Bakery is seen under construction in the Three Springs Drive industrial park. Work on the site progressed throughout 2015.

BDC Continued from Page 3A

Way, where Theo Yianni’s will be moving in the future. Expansion continues at Weirton Medical Center, he noted. ArcelorMittal continues to offer property on the market at the former Weirton Steel, and it’s working toward closing a deal with Frontier Energy, removing scrap and following an order of corrective action to remediate the site. There are talks to repurpose the former Colliers Steel, as well, Ford noted. Other work progressing in the area includes infrastructure development at the Trimodal Center in Follansbee, where owner Jim Joseph plans to build a new road to improve access to a site for a proposed natural gasfired power plant.

The former Follansbee Steel has been torn down and new construction is anticipated in 2016. The BDC is working toward tearing down the former Brooke Glass factory, and a house at 118 Fourth St., Wellsburg is being razed with money from Wells Fargo. The house site will become a pocket park for the Salvation Army, Ford said. The BDC continues to work with the Wellsburg Urban Economic Development Authority to seek opportunities, including work on the big Genpak site. “It’s got a big footprint and it’s adjacent to rail, and we are short of that in our area, properties with access to rail. Rail stops to the south in Wellsburg,” Ford said.

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“In Beech Bottom, we’re tearing down and building,” he said. A part of the former Wheeling Corrugating plant, with high concentrations of asbestos, will be razed thanks to a grant obtained by BDC, and 120 acres north of the plant are receiving interest from metals fabrication and energy companies. “We are really excited for the promise of activity in New Cumberland, Newell and Chester. It’s taken awhile for those three communities to get on the radar for a number of prospects, and the reason was that we didn’t have the inventory,” he said. There are six current tenants at the Wheeling Corrugating site. Inventory is grow-

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ing, not only with TS&T, but with Mountaineer working on its 2,000 acres of adjacent property. Ford said work is under way to try to develop an industrial park in the Newell area near Mountaineer to provide an area similar to the Three Springs Drive Business Park and the former Wheeling Corrugating site in Beech Bottom. New Cumberland has the former AL Solutions plant with rail access, and Ford said he’s looking forward to the opportunities at the former AIR Building in the town. Work continues to help grow the 24-houra-day operation of the Centrepoint Terminal in Half Moon Industrial Park in Weirton, where oil is offloaded around the clock. Centrepoint represents a $6.5 million investment in the area, he noted. Ford said Rue 21’s warehouse operation in the Three Springs park continues to increase employment, and assistance is being provided through the state for employment training. And, Pietro Fiorentini, a manufacturer of pumps and hardware for energy services, is

in the final stages of a deal to get construction started on a $10.5 million facility in Weirton. The BDC will apply in February for a loan for the construction to the WVEDA, Ford said. That project will include 41 jobs at startup and could grow to 110 jobs. The firm has been working in temporary quarters in Wheeling while the project is finalized. Barney’s Bakery is nearing completion of its new facilities in the Three Springs park, Ford noted. Three Springs also includes the Brownlee trucking terminal, Ford noted, a $1 million investment. Private investment is developing a commercial center at the site of the old Weirton Wal-Mart. HOUSING INITIATIVE BDC is working on the second phase of its Bad Building Initiative and plans to hold its second summit this year. Huntington bank gave a contribution of $25K to the BDC to work with residents and businesses in Hancock County to identify priorities for tearing down abandoned structures to improve the appearance of the communi-

ty and to create opportunities for housing development. A nine-county region will send representatives to Williams on March 4 for an open work session on bad buildings, sponsored by the West Virginia Community Development Hub, one of several such sessions to be held throughout the state. BDC tore down two trailers in Beech Bottom in 2015 and renovated a home for a single mother and her child. Three houses were torn down in Weirton and one was donated for a community park to the Weirton Christian Center. Ford said Wells Fargo made the 2015 work possible with $40,000, with Huntington taking the lead this year. Finally, on the housing front, Bethany College has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire property for six houses for faculty and staff, which will represent the BDC’s first new construction housing. The idea is to meet the needs for attracting faculty who want to live within walking distance of work on the scenic campus.

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WINTERSVILLE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Jefferson County Port Authority is becoming a major economic development force in the county and now the region. The authority was created in 2012, and in 2015 was involved in several development projects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My job as executive director is multifaceted. We are always looking for prospects for available properties in Jefferson County and trying to put people together with the potential sites. We also manage the Jefferson County Industrial Park for the county commissioners,â&#x20AC;? Jefferson County Port Authority Executive Director Evan Scurti explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our intern, Joseph Dantona, a Franciscan University of Steubenville student, has done a very good job for the port authority and we hope to keep him here as long as possible. He is very organized and on top of several projects for us,â&#x20AC;? added Scurti. â&#x20AC;&#x153;2015 was highlighted by impressive capital investment projects throughout Jefferson County, each of which holds great potential to strengthen the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax base and job creation activity in the coming years,â&#x20AC;? said Scurti. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The port authority is proud to have played an instrumental role in several of these projects. We are committed to doing our part to capitalize on these investments as the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic development leader. Jefferson County has a strong foundation and is well-prepared to diversify its industrial base and offer new, broad-based job creation across several targeted industries,â&#x20AC;? Scurti announced during the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual breakfast meeting. Scurti said the port authority focused on strategies in 2015 deemed very important to facilitate ongoing investment including: ÂŻ Plains Energy oil/gas terminal in Knox Township. The port authority worked through the first half of 2015

Dave Gossett

Jefferson County Port Authority Executive Director Evan Scurti stands at the former Grant School site on South Fourth Street that is owned by the city. Scurti was asked by former City Manager Tim Boland to assist in marketing the property. The approximately 1 acre lot has been appraised at $75,000 and Scurti has recommended city officials sell the land to someone with a written contract and plans for future development.

toward the June execution of sales tax and real estate tax abatement contracts to secure Plainsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; forecasted $56 million in capital investment. The port authority guided Knox Township trustees and the county commissioners in the expansion of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Enterprise Zone into Knox Township in order to negotiate with the company for a 50 percent 10-year tax abatement. Additionally, the port authority utilized a unique power granted to Ohio ports under ORC 4582 to construct facilities, lease them to the client and forgive the sales taxes on construction materials. ÂŻ The Franciscan University of Steubenville Land Development Partnerships. The port authority has developed an overall philosophy that it will participate in local infrastructure development projects when there is a direct correlation to new jobs and overall economic development. The Franciscan Square project met this criteria, as it has the potential to not only improve the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retail and office environment, but to continue to grow one of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s educa-

tional leaders. In November, the port authority submitted a grant application through the Ohio MidEastern Governments Association for a $75,000 Appalachian Regional Commission infrastructure assistance. The port authority will focus in 2016 on strategic marketing initiatives alongside Franciscan, as it strives to recruit future tenants to the development. ÂŻ Creation of the Mingo Junction Community Reinvestment Area. The village-wide

CRA was certified by the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Development Services Agency in November and can now receive applications for commercial and residential tax abatement on the improved value of construction projects. ÂŻ Steubenville Central Business District Real Estate Development Summit. In mid-2015 the port authority coordinated a planning process resulting in the inaugural Central Business District development summit. The event was coordinated by a planning committee of sev-

eral Steubenville businesspersons and local government administrative staff. The event officially was hosted by the port authority, board of county commissioners and city of Steubenville and was able to be offered at no expense to guests or the general funds of the local governments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the port authority will be focused on industrial initiatives in 2016, sustained involvement in downtown redevelopment strategies and entrepreneurial support will be a part of our work plan. We rec-

ognize that the combination of history, architecture, geographic proximity and available infrastructure make the downtown an important economic development topic,â&#x20AC;?noted Scurti. ÂŻ Countywide Commercial Permitting Ad Hoc Committee. The port authority has created a committee to explore the potential of offering countywide commercial permitting and inspection services. This is part of an overall effort to make Jefferson County as â&#x20AC;&#x153;shovel-readyâ&#x20AC;? as possible for new industrial development. In addition to improved documentation of industrial site and utility availability and more aggressive marketing, having a local permitting process would be an excellent addition to our business-friendly environment. ÂŻ A Brownfields Redevelopment Partnership with the BDC. In late 2015 the port authority entered into a formal partnership with the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle to apply for $600,000 of USEPA brownfield assessment assistance on commercial sites throughout Brooke, Hancock, and Jefferson counties. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The port authority looks forward to ongoing partnerships with the BDC to not only redevelop potentially contaminated lands but also to creatively market our river valley together. While ecoSee PORT Page 6A Ă

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nomic development is often very competitive among the states, it makes great sense for the port and BDC to pool its resources and market our valley region to national and international decisionmakers,” said Scurti. “The port authority is excited to build on all of these initiatives to move Jefferson County forward in 2016. We believe our work plan is a smart combination of industrial development marketing strategies, site readiness initiatives and more aggressive pursuit of grant assistance from our state and federal partners in these areas,” declared Scurti. The county-owned industrial park continues to serve as a premiere industrial setting

for new investment and job creation. The industrial park is home to approximately 100 fulltime employees and we are focused on adding to that number significantly in the coming years,” Scurti explained. He cited several highlights in 2015 including: ¯ Signs Ltd. announced an expansion of service offerings and new jobs to be developed in 2016 at its Technology Way facility. Under the leadership of owner Ed Rice, Signs Ltd. has been a quality employer in the park since 2007. ¯ London, UK-based Certwood Ltd., a manufacturer of injection molded products in the educational and medSee PORT Page 7A Á

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ical markets, grew its Jefferson County distribution process by finding expansion space inside the National Colloid facility. ¯ The port authority is in consultation with a logistics prospect discussing a plan that would create more than 50 new jobs for the area. “The port authority has developed strong working relationships with the owners of all three former mills in Yorkville, Mingo Junction and Steubenville. The properties represent more than 500 acres of land available for new industry. The work of our regional partner — the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth — is also very vital. APEG was responsible for the creation in 2015 of the Ohio River Sites marketing website, a vital economic tool to our market area. This is an important initiative as the valley and all of Appalachia must focus on diversifying and showcasing these unique properties to various industries worldwide. This continues to be a focus of the port as we move into 2016. We are currently in consultation with a manufacturing prospect expressing interest in riverserved sites, and we expect to capitalize on this trend in the coming years. Manufacturing in the Ohio Valley could be a strategic decision for many industries in the coming years, and the port is focused on securing these future capital investments,” commented Scurti. “The port would like to recognize JobsOhio, the state’s economic development agency for their provision of a revitalization grant that aided a longstanding employer in its efforts to comply with EPA requirements. JobsOhio’s $450,000 grant was executed in July 2015, helping Barium & Chemical to retain its 27 employees and add

five new positions. This is an excellent example of how statelevel partners are helping Jefferson County modernize its development and manufacturing sites for 21st century employment. “I want to be a catalyst for development and for attracting good jobs to our community. I have always viewed Steubenville as its own economic driver. There is plenty of room in Jefferson County for quality employers and businesses. I don’t particularly want to be considered as a bedroom community of Pittsburgh,” he remarked. “I believe Jefferson County has a great atmosphere for economic development. Every county is unique in its own way but I feel I can develop goals for development in Jefferson County,” Scurti said. “We also have to be smart. As we proceed we will find we can be a targeted market. As part of that work I plan to talk to local managers of industries in Jefferson County. We have seen some interesting retailers come into the area in response to the oil and gas industry. That is why the port authority should be involved in our community,” said Scurti. The nine-member board of directors for the port authority is appointed by the board of county commissioners and city of Steubenville as well as one appointment by the Jefferson County Regional Planning and serve four-year terms. The directors include Jay Zatta, Mark Teramana, Debbie Venci, Mike Thomas, Ed Florak, Gary Cain, Greg Nemeth, Rob D’Anniballe and Jim Emmerling. “The port authority is entering 2016 with a full-time staff and is prepared to build upon a successful year of new business investment into Jefferson

County throughout 2015. Our vision for 2016 is one that includes bold initiatives, including both capital investment strategies and new services for local businesses,” according to Scurti. “Our ideas and programs for 2016 include formalizing the internship program by creating a competitive application process with local higher education institutions. We also want to research the local foundation community and apply for grants this year that support our various initiatives. By March 1 we hope to develop a clear set of recommendations and go forward actions regarding the countywide commercial permitting vision. This proposal should be presented as part of an updated ‘site selection toolkit’ that showcases Jefferson County’s readiness for industri-

al development,” declared Scurti. “We would like to develop a more diverse public relations program, schedule quarter-

work to establish a regular meeting schedule with the county and municipal leaders and utility directors to discuss specific infrastructure improvement and industrial park cre-

industry. The key thing in my view is infrastructure readiness. A piece of ground doesn’t mean its ready to go, especially in modern site selection process. If it isn’t site ready it

ly port authority updates at local government sites throughout the county and hold a roundtable meeting with the board of Realtors to review the property database and request policy process feedback from local agents. And we want to hold a spring retreat with all local governmental leaders to discuss site selection preparedness. We will also

ation strategies in the most impactful industrial development areas,” continued Scurti. “We are starting to firm up the plans a little stronger, especially as we head into 2016. We will focus on some redevelopment initiatives, strategic goals and statements and continue to position in some key areas for investment for modern

can be overlooked. “We have more than 300 properties on our website. Much of that is commercial retail space, but our work remains focused on the industrial side, to grow the industrial economy. In terms of warehouse and industrial sites, we are pretty up to date. (Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)

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Jennifer Compston-Strough

The former mill at Yorkville has been renamed as an energy services terminal and jobs have been created at the site.

By PAUL GIANNAMORE Staff writer

STEUBENVILLE — The biggest news in the regional economy in 2015 was the announcement of progress into engineering studies for construction of a $5.7 billion ethane cracker in Belmont County by PTT Chemical, according to Ed Looman, project manager for the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth. Looman oversees the development of projects in a region including Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson and Muskingum counties. He said to take advantage of that potential, and the ability to reattract manufacturing, the area needs to focus on getting shovelready sites in its inventory. “There seems to be some optimism regarding that project as it unfolds, and realize that it’s not a quick fix to all of our problems, but it would change the face of the region,” Looman said. “In layman’s terms, if a decision is made to move forward to construction and that gets up and operational, what is produced there will include byproducts that provide inexpensive feedstock for all sorts of industries that would want to be in the area to take advantage. Plastics would be one, but it would be any kind of industry that can use the byproducts that would look at the region as a site location.” Looman noted there also are studies and plans for a cracker in Western Pennsylvania and one in the Parkersburg area. “You could be looking from the top to the bottom of the Ohio River basin in our

region to be an ideal place to be in the near future,” he said. Looman noted the cracker itself would pay well for its operators, and jobs that would locate near a cracker also would pay well. “Then, they need suppliers here. And then, the trickle-down effect is in play,” he said. Though oil prices have fallen and drilling activity has slowed down while the market pauses, Looman noted pipeline and infrastructure construction that is needed anyway to serve the energy industry in the Eastern Ohio shale region continues, giving the pipelines and other needed improvements time to catch up. Looman said additional infrastructure to serve the industry will mean drilling will begin again. “What I see indicates there could be additional drilling rig activity 2016 and into 2017 that should be even more intense than what it was in 2012. It’s not going away, but it is just in a state of flux right now. It is waiting for the infrastructure and pricing improvements,” he said. Looman said anyone with doubts about what can happen needs to look at what has been happening in Belmont, Harrison, Carroll and Monroe counties as the drilling intensified in recent years. “Hotels popped up. There are new businesses to support the industry. There is some of that going on in Jefferson County and it will continue to happen going forward. We are still kind of waiting, but all reports indicate the county will become an active spot as we go forward during the next couple of years,” he said. While oil and gas has

grabbed the spotlight in recent years, Looman said the focus continues in economic development circles on manufacturing and the need to try to attract additional manufacturing operations to the region. “That’s the biggest part of the effort that APEG had in 2015, focusing on additional development of information when it comes to sites available on the Ohio River,” Looman said. “The interest level in Ohio River sites continues to be through the roof.” The Ohio River remains attractive as a major commercial waterway, with 451 miles of shoreline along Ohio, APEG notes. The water is important in support of electric plants and polymer manufacturing, but it also is a thoroughfare for transportation of vital bulk materials and goods. The Ohio River operates at less than 50 percent of its potential capacity for river traffic, yet moves more freight by tonnage annually than what passes through the Panama Canal. APEG says 63 million tons of goods move annually to, from and within Ohio via the Ohio River. The river connects to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River and through the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway to the port of Mobile, Ala. He said the former steel mill sites at Mingo Junction and

Steubenville have potential. He noted the former mill at Yorkville has been renamed as an energy services terminal and jobs have been created there. There also are jobs in place as work continues on redevelopment of the Steubenville mill by Strauss Industries. “Those are three key river sites for Jefferson County,” Looman said. “The truth is that we continue to receive inquiries regarding our region from the standpoint of new manufacturing opportunities. The big problem that we have in the region is a need to have close-toshovel-ready sites. We have sites, but they’re not ready for development, and that’s an issue from the top to the bottom of the APEG region,” he said. Looman said the region gets more inquiries for actual sites among all six of the regional JobsOhio Network partners. He said in other regions, the inquiries often are for buildings, while those along the eastern part of Ohio are for sites, on the river or inland. “We have a lot of opportunity but we simply don’t have a lot of sites that are ready. Some of it is simple geography that we deal with: River sites tend to go up and down or there are floodplain issues. There See APEG Page 2B Á

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MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

APEG Continued from Page 1B

are issues related to past use of the sites, and lots of them were at one point linked to the coal industry,” he said. “It’s not that the interest isn’t there. The biggest concern continues to be our ability to meet the demands,” he said. JobsOhio debuted programs in 2015 that can help communities prepare shovel-ready sites or to have the sites become certified. “If you certify that you have a 30-acre plus industrial site that has everything that it needs for infrastructure, suddenly, you move to the head of the class for potential prospects,” he said. “It’s not an easy process, but the opportunity is there for counties to take advantage. It takes some investment, some skin in the game. It’s not a free ride, but if we want to get the area to where it can actually be in play, you have to have the land inventory.” Evan Scurti, executive director of the Jefferson County Port Authority, said JobsOhio is “very robust” and is stronger for economic devel-

opment than the former Ohio Department of Development system. “JobsOhio works very quickly. They are willing to work side by side during some of these long-term analyses. There are six regional centers, but we’re blessed with our person being right in Steubenville in the person of Ed Looman,” he said. Scurti explained the SiteOhio program that is being rolled out in 2016 will be the site certification program, taking communities and specific sites and putting them through a rigorous analysis. “You must, for instance, document all the utilities available at the edge of the site, any wetlands, roads serving the site that can accommodate trucks, any zoning and covenants. Once a site would pass all the tests, it would get a state marketing approval, and it would be marketed as a certified site,” he said. He said programs such as that and the responsiveness of the system sets JobsOhio apart from other

states’ economic development programs. “Some of them are just an incentive shot, where the local guys around the state call the state office with a prospect and ask for the kinds of grants and incentives they can offer. JobsOhio serves that role, but they get into site preparation and site selection best practices as well,” Scurti said.

price stats. Sure, if you have 40 acres of flat land, but it costs millions to run water and sewer there, are you willing to take that risk to see if they may come? That’s kind of

Looman said getting sites to that point continues to be the top effort. He said infrastructure issues also come into play. “They’re looking for a great tract of land, flat — which is unusual in our region — near the river or rail or a highway or whatever the need of the prospect is. To get a site ready, you can be looking at hefty

where we are,” Looman said. “We have to figure out how to get sites ready so that we can take them to market.” Looman said APEG continues to stress having properties into the state inventory so that the sites can be marketed. “I have the projects. Tell me where I can take them,” he said.

Dave Gossett

Franciscan Square promises to bring an economic boost to the area.

Wellsburg glass factory eyed for new business Historic building may not be demolished

By WARREN SCOTT Staff writer WELLSBURG — While seeking new uses for the former Brooke Glass factory site, area officials also have been working to preserve the history of the 136-year-old building, which was slated to be demolished. But Pat Ford, executive director of the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle, said he learned recently it may not be necessary to raze the entire structure, which sits on Sixth Street. Ford said the regional economic development agency has been awarded a $3,000 grant to determine the feasibility of preserving about 30,000 square feet of the factory’s front portion. The grant was awarded by the West Virginia Redevelopment Collaborative and Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center from seed money provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Ford said after being approved for the grant and another in the amount of $3,000, for the redevelopment of the Taylor, Smith & Taylor pottery site in Chester, he and Wellsburg officials met with a team of experts in various aspects of brownfield development formed by the WVRC. He said through that meeting he learned it may be possible to preserve the factory’s office area. “What I really like about that, if we can do it, is that it preserves an historically significant building in Wellsburg,” Ford said. “Right now we’re cautiously optimistic about preserving that section of the building,” he said while acknowledging there are hazardous materials there that must be removed from it. A previous assessment of the building found asbestos in the building and benzopyrene, arsenic, lead, cobalt and uranium — all substances once used to produce glass — in the soil. With the help of the brownfields assistance center, the BDC has secured a $250,000 grant for cleanup efforts at the 2-acre site, which includes property across from the factory on the other side of Yankee Street. Ford said the site’s close proximity to state Route 2 and the Ohio River are strong selling points for the site. He said it has drawn interest from representatives of the glass and natural gas industries. The BDC and others have worked for several years to improve the property’s potential for development. In 2011, the Brooke-Hancock Regional Development Council, an arm of the BrookeHancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission, worked with the brownfields assistance center to secure a $5,000 grant from the Benedum Foundation for an initial assessment. In 2014, the BDC acquired the property using a portion of a $370,000 grant awarded by the Benedum Foundation to the BDC and the Pittsburgh-based Riverside Center for Innovation for the development of 14 brownfield sites in Brooke and Hancock counties and Western Pennsylvania. The BDC spent about $27,000 of its funds for an inspection by the state Department of Environmental Protection required for the sale and the removal and disposal of hazardous materials in jars and bags. It also installed a fence around the property, while the Rithner family, its previous owners, installed a security system to prevent further vandalism to the building. The BDC and brownfields assistance center then secured a $70,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine cleanup efforts needed. With help from the city’s urban redevelopment authority, the two held a series of public meetings to invite suggestions for new uses for the location and ways to preserve its history.

Built in 1879, the building was home first to Riverside Glass Works before it was sold in 1908 to Henry Rithner Sr. and Ellery Worthen, who established the Crescent Glass Co. Years later it became Brooke Glass, with Henry Rithner III its last president. One of many glass factories that once operated in the city, it was the last to close its doors in 2005. Between 2001 and 2005 its operations were limited to etching and painting glass produced elsewhere. Students in professor Jenny Boulware’s cultural resource management class at West Virginia University have created a brief documentary featuring interviews with people with knowledge of the factory, including former employees. And Austin Isinghood, a Wellsburg native and graphic designer employed by the brownfields assistance center, is creating a portable mural to commemorate its history. Plans call for the mural to be comprised of three panels, including one with elements sketched by Isinghood and painted by children and adults who attended the center’s Brooke Glass Pickers event in April. Brooke Glass isn’t the only vacant property city and other officials are working to revitalize. With the help of the BrookeHancock Regional Development Council, the city secured EPA funds for an environmental assessment of the former GenPak building on Charles Street near 18th Street. Ford said he’s working with Wellsburg Mayor Sue Simonetti and the urban redevelopment authority to secure further assessment funds. Built between 1904 and 1907, the twostory building was home to the Hudson Pulp and Paper Co. for many years. It was purchased in the 1960s by Mammoth Plastics and later acquired by GenPak, also a manufacturer of molded plastic products, before the factory’s doors were closed in the 1990s. City officials hope such efforts will follow the example of the former Banner Fiberboard site. The property became home to a 90,000square-foot distribution center for Eagle Manufacturing, a longtime Wellsburg business, after the Brooke-Hancock Regional Development Council secured an $85,000 EPA grant for the site’s environmental remediation. Officials with the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle and Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center are working to redevelop the former site of the Brooke Glass factory. While plans had called for the building to be demolished, the two recently received a grant that may allow for part of the structure to be rehabilitated.

Warren Scott

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MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

Weather key to Route 7 work By MARK LAW Staff writer BRILLIANT — Drivers who are growing impatient with the delays caused by the hillside work on state Route 7 in the Brilliant area better hope for drier weather for the remainder of winter if there is any hope the highway will open up sooner than planned. The Ohio Department of Transportation is spending $68 million on three separate hillside projects along state Route 7. The middle project was completed during the summer. It is located south of Brilliant. Beaver Excavating of Canton removed 2 million cubic yards of dirt and rock at a cost of

$22 million. The Rush Run project is about 35 percent complete. Kokosing Construction Co. of Columbus has removed 440,000 cubic yards out of a total of 1 million cubic yards. The $16 million project is expected to be completed in the fall. The third project, and the largest at $30 million, is located north of Brilliant. That project is about 25 percent complete and involves removal of 2.7 million cubic yards of dirt and rock. Adam Lytton is an ODOT project engineer on the hillside work. He said the completion date is June 2018 but ODOT and the contractor, Cast & Baker of Canonsburg, Pa., are

hoping for an earlier opening. “It all depends on how we get through winter. It is looking good in terms of the schedule,” Lytton said. “The schedule is out there to open sooner. The contractor wants to be done as soon as possible.” Lytton said the contractor has had a warm winter up to this point. The large earth moving trucks have a difficult time traversing the hillside in wet muddy weather. The hillside is being laid back about 400 feet from the highway. Once completed, the hillside at the bottom will sit back 45 feet from the road, Lytton said. He noted the highway may be paved in

the fall if the contractor is able to keep working throughout the remainder of the winter. If not, the paving work may be pushed back to the spring of 2017. Lytton said the permitting of the project took 18 months. He said the Federal Highway

ODOT, and Lytton said ODOT never had to deal with getting a federal permit to remove the tree where an eagle’s nest was located.

CB radio in his work truck and hears the complaints from motorists. “It is unbelievable

Administration quickly moved the permitting forward because of the emergency of getting all four lanes of state Route 7 reopened. An eagle’s nest on the top of the hill posed a unique problem for

The eagles have relocated their nest to another tree at the edge of the right of way at the top of the hill, Lytton said, noting the eagles have produced eaglets. “It is kind of near were we thought they would build,” he said, adding the new nest is so large that an adult human can sit inside. The nest that was torn down with the tree originally was a hawk’s nest, which the eagles commandeered “The whole project came together quickly,” he said. Lytton said there were problems with rocks falling off the hillside for years. It wasn’t until a rock fell and hit a tractor-trailer that ODOT decided it was time to push forward with the hillside removal project. Lytton said rocks were being removed from an original bench high above the highway, which was constructed when the highway was built about 60 years ago. The rock which struck the tractor-trailer came from a section of the hillside that hadn’t been cleaned. Lytton said the dirt and rocks being removed from the hillside are being hauled to an old strip mine located on top of the hill. He said it is a quick trip for the large trucks hauling the removed material. The highway has been closed for 15 minutes at a time while blasting occurs. The large trackshoes then go back to removing the loose material after the blasting. ODOT reported the highway has been closed for longer periods of time because loose rocks have been sitting close to the edge. The trackhoes have to than move to the where the loose rocks are located and remove the boulders. Lytton said he has a

the things people are saying,” Lytton said. The delays with blasting will become more of a problem when the crews get closer to the bottom because that section is closer to the highway. The other section of hillside project at Rush Run is progressing. Lytton said that job was planned when the hillside failed. Once again, the winter weather comes into play with then the project will be completed. The highway is expected to be repaved in the fall. When all the hillside projects are completed, the traveling public will be able to enjoy free-flowing traffic without the delays of falling rocks. For now, ODOT has recommended motorists take a detour which can take about 35 minutes around the blasting zone. Drivers traveling north should exit off state Route 7 at Rayland and take state Route 150 to Dillonvale and then state Route 152 to Smithfield and state Route 151 back to state Route 7. Drivers traveling south should exit at state Route 151 at New Alexandria, take state Route 151 to Smithfield, state Route 152 to Dillonvale and state Route 150 to Rayland. “We will continue to do everything possible to minimize traffic delays with safety of the traveling public as our top priority,” said Becky Giauque, ODOT District 11 spokesperson. “The first landslide occurred, restricting traffic in March 2011. Altogether, more than $68 million has been invested into repairing this hillside and improving the longterm safety for motorists along this five-mile stretch of state Route 7,” she said.

Contributed

Ohio Department of Transportation is spending $68 million to repair failing hillsides along state Route 7 in the Brilliant area. The latest project, costing $30 million, is about 25 percent complete but is expected not to be finished until June 2018. Crews from Cast & Baker of Canonsburg, Pa., have removed more than 717,000 cubic yards of dirt and rocks out of the 2.7 million cubic yards for the project.

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River Rail Development in Steubenville continues to grow

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By DAVE GOSSETT Staff writer

STEUBENVILLE — Nine companies have now opened operations on the former RG Steel property in the South End of Steubenville. According to city records, 80 employees are working at the former steel mill site at mostly oil and gas related businesses. “After environmental remediation the property is now being redeveloped with a multimodal transfer and processing facility to support midstream shale gas operations. The benefits of this project are the availability of a safe site free of hazards to human health and the environment and ready for redevelopment for industrial land use. Property redevelopment also is expected to generate income

and property tax benefits for the city,” Urban Projects Director Chris Petrossi has said. The industrial park was the idea Ken Burns, chief operating officer of Strauss Industries of Wheeling, had in mind when he moved to buy the 119acre site in 2012. The property had been home to a steel industry for 150 years but has undergone a major facelift since RG Steel filed for bankruptcy in 2012. “I have had my eye on this property for probably the past 10 years. Some of these buildings date back to 1904. We are demolishing and removing a number of structures and have saved buildings we can use in the future. We also plan to move our scrap operations from Weirton to this site where it will be under a roof and will be a more equipment-

MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

oriented operation,” said Burns in a 2013 interview. “We have spent more than $5 million, including a $1 million Clean Ohio Assistance grant, to clean up any asbestos on the site as well as demolish and remove the scrap buildings. Add in the pre-work expenditures and we are closer to $6 million,” cited Burns. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued a Director’s Final Findings and Orders that included a “no further action letter” detailing the remedial activities taken at the approximately 6.59 acre property. The property now owned by Strauss Industries first was developed by the Jefferson Iron Works in 1856 as a steel production facility to produce nails. The property then was purchased by the LaBelle Iron

Works around 1900 and changed operations to the production of rolled and coiled steel. In 1920 LaBelle merged with the Whitaker-Glessner Co. and the Wheeling Steel & Iron Co. to form the Wheeling Steel Co., which operated on the property until 1968 when the corporation merged with the Pittsburgh Steel Co. A merger with Esmark Corp. took place in 2007. Then Severstal North America Inc. acquired Esmark and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in 2008. The RG Steel Corp. took ownership of the property in March of 2011 and continued steel manufacturing activities until May 2012, when the company filed for bankruptcy. River Rail purchased the property in July 2012 to develop an industrial park for Strauss Industries to conduct metal scrap processing and logistic

activities. “The potential for this property is amazing. We are currently negotiating with companies interested in locating here. We are not looking for short-term tenants but we are interested in companies that want to be here for the next 30 years,” Burns said in 2013. Petrossi said Strauss Industries has been “very cooperative with the city and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.” “An environmental consulting firm inspected the site for potential ground contaminants and the owners are currently conducting surgical excavations to remove any problems. And Strauss has taken the existing concrete floors and pads, ground them up and used the material for roadways. See RIVER RAIL Page 8B Á

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CALL & COMPARE 283-3338 • 1-888-433-5569 Toll Free 568 COUNTY HWY 19, MINGO JUNCTION, OHIO 43938 • FAX: 740-598-3945

Dave Gossett

A large steel building built for Tidewater Logistics serves a storage facility for bulk material at the River Rail Development site in south Steubenville. Strauss Industries of Wheeling bought the former RG Steel Co. property in 2012 and immediately started a massive environmental remediation to prepare the land for future development. There are nine companies operating at the site.

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION - MARCH 15, 2016

Voter Eligibility

Must Be A United States Citizen Must Be 18 Years Of Age Or Older By The November 8, 2016 General Election Must Have Proof Of Identification

ABSENTEE VOTING

The following information must be included on your application or a ballot will not be issued to you.

Bureau of Motor Vehicles Any Public Library Public High Schools and Vocational Schools Designated Agencies that Provide Public Assistance or Disability Programs Treasurer’s Office By Mail

Jefferson County Board of Elections 500 Market St., 1st Floor, Suite 1 Steubenville, OH 43952 (740) 283-8522 www.jcboe.info Regular Office Hours; M-F 9AM to 4:30PM Registration Deadline Tuesday, Feb. 16, 9AM to 9PM

ABSENTEE VOTING BEGINS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 AT 8:00 AM. CALL OUR OFFICE OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR A LIST OF EXTENDED HOURS FOR IN PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING.

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MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

Dominic Teramana Jr. sees resurgence for the area

Dave Gossett

Dominic Teramana saw an opportunity to bring TJ Maxx into the Hollywood City Center when OfficeMax announced plans to downsize its stores. Teramana said the new TJ Maxx store filled a key niche in the community.

By DAVE GOSSETT Staff writer

STEUBENVILLE — Dominic Teramana believes in his hometown. And at an age when many of his peers have retired, Teramana remains very busy with a number of area projects owned and managed by himself and his cousins, Mark and Tony. “We have 11 limited partnerships, including the Hollywood City Center that is doing very well. Teramana As far as the shopping center goes we are virtually 100 percent occupied. We have one vacancy in the Stanton office building, but we are waiting for the right tenant for that location,” Teramana explained. “There is a lot of interest in the shopping center including a national retail business interest who would like to locate in the City Center. So we are pleased with the success of the center and its tenants. But Teramana Enterprises is much more than just the Hollywood City Center,” continued Teramana. “We also own the property that is now home to the Sumo Restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Steubenville. My wife and I recently ate there and I have to tell you, the food is really good. We invested a lot in that property to get it ready for this restaurant and they also invested in the building and I think it will be a very suc-

cessful business in the community,” Teramana remarked. “Another of our limited partnerships is the Wellsburg Kroger store, which is doing very well, and the Goodwill building on Penco Road in Weirton. They are excellent tenants. And we also have several bank real estate properties,” he said. “Three of our limited partnerships are raw ground sites in good locations. We believe those properties will be ideal for mid-stream companies in the oil and gas industry in the future. We successfully negotiated with a pipeline company in the past for a lay down yard and plan to pursue that again as the pipelines are built through Jefferson County,” noted Teramana. “One of the reasons I am still so active in our limited partnerships is my great staff of Gloria Boring and Jeremy Clark. I am always just a phone call away and we remain connected with our computers,” commented Teramana. He has watched the Hollywood City Center grow and evolve over the years. “Kroger wanted to occupy a larger retail space so we were able to build a new store and put the OfficeMax store in the Kroger space. Then we were approached by TJ Maxx who wanted to locate in the center of the plaza. At the same time OfficeMax had plans to downsize their store and CVS was moving across the street. So we moved OfficeMax into the former CVS site and put TJ Maxx into the OfficeMax location. It took a lot of work and investment but is proved to be a successful move for everyone. TJ Maxx is the No. 1 store in this type of market.

It provides a store for people to find something they like. Women like to shop at TJ Maxx. It really filled a niche in the community,” cited Teramana. And Teramana, the businessman, is watching the development of Franciscan Square with sincere appreciation. “I hope that within the next two to three years we can create the welcoming infrastructure on University Boulevard that will make Steubenville and Jefferson County the entrance to Ohio for visitors coming from the Pittsburgh area. We own property near the Microtel Hotel on University Boulevard we hope will be the ideal site for a restaurant in the future. We are lacking enough quality restaurants near the hotels to attract the area residents as well as the oil and gas industry workers who stay here,”said Teramana. “We also own properties in Cadiz at the interchange. We have witnessed the construction of two new hotels in Cadiz related to the oil and gas industry and we are working on access to our property for future development. Weirton is seeing more development and benefits from the restaurants near the hotels on Three Springs Drive. I have always looked at University Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard as the main arteries in our community. And we need to develop those areas to continue growing the community,” added Teramana. “I believe we are going to see a resurgence in our area. Yes, the oil and gas business has slowed because of the crude decline and price of natural gas and that

has resulted in the operations slowing down. But that will change when the pipeline infrastructure is in place. From what I have read, by 2017 oil and gas prices will start to come back,” said Teramana. “I think the United States will eventually become a major player in providing the energy for the rest of the world. We need to be energy self-reliant. There are plenty of reasons for optimism in the Ohio Valley. During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the domestic steel industry started to decline because of foreign steel imports. I would say in the 1980s the main business in this area was steel and coal. Now steel has been greatly reduced, and Murray is shuttering his coal mines. But our area can still be a major energy producer as we start to see the conversion and building of gasfired power plants,” said Teramana. “Jefferson County does not have a lot of oil and gas wells at this time. But there is an abundance of natural gas below us. The new natural gas power plants will be cleaner operations. I believe there are strong reasons for optimism about our communities,” Teramana said. The Teramana hometown pride stems from the immediate past Teramana generation who were orphaned at an early age. “My father, uncle and aunt spent their younger years in an orphanage in Columbus. But they had an uncle living in Steubenville and he brought the boys and my Aunt Mary to live with him in Steubenville where they lived in a duplex on South Sixth Street,” said Teramana.

“According to a family story, an uncle won an old abandoned coal mine on Sinclair Avenue during a poker game. The boys would mine coal along Sinclair Avenue after school and on the weekends and sell the coal to people living in Steubenville. They became moderately successful selling coal to Kaul Clay in Toronto in the 1930s and then started selling coal to the power plants in Stratton and Toronto. They diversified into real estate in the 1960s,” Teramana said. “When I graduated from college I had to make a choice on moving or returning home. I came back home and started running our real estate ventures,” he said. “Our fathers got their start in Steubenville, and we love it here. I grew up at a time when the downtown was the most vibrant part of the city. Every Monday, Thursday and Saturday I would catch a bus to go downtown and see a movie. My grandfather lived on Lake Erie Boulevard where the Historic Fort Steuben is now. My uncles were asked to build a Kroger store in this plaza and they initially faced opposition. But the store was built and the plaza has grown into the Hollywood City Center. Today we have 25 to 30 retailers and they are all doing very well. We are very proud of our City Center. It is a very safe shopping area and a convenient place to shop. We are in the midtown part of Steubenville. And I truly believe the next 10 to 20 years will see the gas and oil industry really grow in our community. And that should bring some of our younger people back home,” remarked Teramana.

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MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

River Rail Continued from Page 6B They are recycling nearly everything in the plant. They also took out an electrical substation that was visible from state Route 7 north coming into the city. They are very good neighbors in our South End,” declared Petrossi. “The city is all eyes and ears as far as the future development and the opportunity to sell you or your tenants water. We welcome you to the community,” Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci told the Strauss Industry officials. Burns said he is preparing for what he believes will be a business boom in the Midwest. “We believe there will be a major increase in river traffic in the coming months. We want to be prepared for that event and are looking for potential development of the property along the river. Transportation is key to our business and our plans include changing the rail system into the property. I really believe this general area is prime for future development. The taxes are more reasonable than other areas and this is a good area for housing development. We are excited to be here and a part of the future,” remarked Burns. “We have a great transportation system in this area with the highways and river. Transportation is key to our business, and our plans include changing the rail system into the property,” he said. Chief Financial Officer John McDonald cited, “the tremendous amount

of progress during the past nine months,” during the 2013 interview. “We received tremendous support on this project from the state of Ohio, JobsOhio and PNC Bank,” McDonald said. “This is a work in progress and we are going to do it the right way. We are planning to redesign the entrance to the property so it looks more appealing for people driving by on state Route 7. I keep thinking about saving and renovating the office building, which dates back to the LaBelle Works. It will need major repairs but I think it could be an asset for us,” said Burns, who laughed when he was asked about the cut lawn surrounding the 109-yearold brick structure. “I really believe this general area is prime for future development. The taxes are more reasonable than other areas and this is a good area for housing development. We are excited to be here and a part of the future,” Burns noted. According to information from the Jefferson County Port Authority, the 118-acre industrial site has river access, is serviced by two railroads and is accessed directly from state Route 7. Multiple contiguous warehouses are available with high ceilings, drivein doors and overhead cranes, and some buildings have rail access inside of the buildings. Lay-down yards, rail car storage, river docks, truck scales and water filtration are also available at the site. The property is located eight miles from the Jefferson Coun-

ty Airport and 26 miles from the Pittsburgh International Airport. Port Authority Executive Director Evan Scurti said he has worked with the property owners to make potential investors aware of the land. The two 100-year-old blast furnaces at the Steubenville site disappeared in two thundering blasts and a cloud of dust in August 2013, officially ending a steelmaking era in the city. The demolition of the two blast furnaces by the Joseph B. Fay Co. of Pittsburgh was part of a major cleanup of the steel mill site as the property is transformed into an industrial park. Those two blast furnaces didn’t go quietly. The first furnace disappeared in a thundering blast and a large cloud of dust. But the demolition crew needed to set new charges to take down the second blast furnace that has stood on the property for more than 100 years. Fay Co. employees had spent several weeks preparing for the controlled explosive demolition of the towering iron structures that produced molten iron for more than a century. “This job is an interesting one because we have a railroad on the south side of the furnaces, so we want to bring them down to the ground toward the north open side,” explained a demolition company employee prior to the explosions. “It was a successful job. The blast furnaces are on the ground and no one was hurt,” he would say later.