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Aug 06, 2023

Martins Ferry council talks city improvements

Aug 3, 2023 MARTINS FERRY — Martins Ferry City Council discussed completed and planned improvements for the city at their regular session Wednesday. Service Director Andy Sutak said that the city’s

Aug 3, 2023

MARTINS FERRY — Martins Ferry City Council discussed completed and planned improvements for the city at their regular session Wednesday.

Service Director Andy Sutak said that the city’s storage center on First Street has been completed. The storage center will hold salt that will be used during the winter to clear the roads.

Sutak said he would like to place a cover or tarp on the front of the salt bin at the storage center to help keep it dry. He would also like to place some asphalt in front of the salt bin so that the trucks have a flat, smooth surface as opposed to the dirt and gravel that is currently at the site.

“Hopefully the cost won’t be that much,” Sutak said.

Sutak said that the city also worked to get a new ramp to the water plant. He said that currently rainwater sits at the bottom of the ramp, and he would like to slope the ramp so that water will not sit at the bottom. He said that the project should have been completed on Wednesday. Sutak said that he plans to do a lot of upgrades to the water plant in the future.

Sutak also said the city is currently working on a project near the old North School. An old water line that led to a fire hydrant was leaking. He said that the project was not completed on Wednesday because the site was near the route for the Betty Zane Days 5K run/walk that also took place on Wednesday.

“Hopefully it’ll be completed by tomorrow,” he said.

Mayor John Davies discussed progress on the Beretta Drive project that has been in the works for about a year. He said the guardrails on the road have slipped over the hill on Beretta Drive which is off of US-250. Davies said he has to make sure the city has the funding to complete the project before moving forward with it. Council plans to discuss the issue further at a finance meeting on Thursday.

“It isn’t going to make to break us,” auditor Jack Regis said regarding the cost of the project.

Davies said that the city demolished the yellow building on Zane Highway. Davies said the building has been empty for a long time.

“That’s one more eyesore that’s leaving the City of Martins Ferry,” he said.

Davies said the land bank paid for its demolition.

Sutak also said that the city has some sandstone from a previous project.

“We had a person that wanted to purchase the sandstone for about $10,000. I haven’t gotten back with them because I think somebody said that we can get more,” he said.

City Council plans to check to see if the sale of the sandstone would have to be up for bid.

“If they’re going to take it away and haul it away for $10,000, you got to think of the labor intensity of that, cleaning that up,” Councilman Tom Burns said.

Burns said he advises the city to sell the sandstone.

In other news, Davies said that the street sweeper is running, but the city currently does not have enough workers to run it.

Davies said that the city has started turning in residents who do not pay property violation fees to a collection agency. Davies said many residents still refuse to pay property violation fees.

“We can’t get them into court. We can’t get anything done,” he said.

Davies said that the city currently writes letters to those who commit property violations.

“It’s not right to use taxpayer money to clean up other people’s properties,” he said.

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