STEUBENVILLE — With just a week to go before the Appalachian Community Grant application deadline, Jefferson County Commissioners were effusive Thursday in their praise for their Soil and Water Conservation District and its project manager, Aaron Dodds.

At Dodds’ request, commissioners signed a memorandum of understanding for their project, a greenspace with 12 life-sized statues of Jefferson County veterans surrounding a monument to Andrews’ Raiders — 19 Ohio soldiers and two civilians who engineered a daring but doomed plan to disrupt Confederate lines of communication in 1862 by commandeering a train headed north from Atlanta to Chattanooga, stopping along the way to cut telegraph lines and burn bridges. Known as the Great Locomotive Chase, the train ran out of gas a few miles from Chattanooga and all of them were captured. Eight of the raiders — including their civilian leader — were hung as spies, six others managed to escape their captors and the rest were swapped for Confederate prisoners.

Dodds said several of the raiders hailed from Jefferson County; another, the leader, lived in Holliday’s Cove (present-day Weirton) and worked in Steubenville. A Salineville resident worked the riverboats in Steubenville, and residents of Carroll and Belmont counties were involved as well.

“They were the first Medal of Honor winners and their story is eroding away,” he said. “They are recognized and hailed in Georgia but barely (known) here.”

Dodds told commissioners they’ve had buy-in from Georgia groups: The cities of Kingston and Marietta have signed letters of support, as have several historical groups, and they’ve pledged to promote the Jefferson County monument at their sites.

Commissioner Tony Morelli said he’s optimistic about their funding chances but said the application process has “got to play out.”

“I have all the confidence in the world in soil and water and especially Aaron Dodds,” he said. “If he didn’t think it was possible, I don’t think he would have put the Valor Square project in the grant.”

He said he’s securing memorandums from his 43 project partners spanning 22 counties, telling commissioners the state is expected to announce the projects it’s going to fund in the first quarter. Any work to be done has to be under bid by July.

Commissioners also took under advisement a consultant services proposal from Argus Growth Consultants, an economic development subsidiary of Bricker Graydon LLP, for development of a spec building at the industrial park.

Argus’s Mike Jacoby, well known in Jefferson County, called it “a starting point” drafted “with the expectation changes may be required” after commissioners and the Port Authority huddle up.

Commissioner Dave Maple said Jacoby “at one time was our economic development specialist in Jefferson County, then he moved on to Marietta and ultimately worked for Ohio Means Jobs Southeast Region.”

“I’m not looking for action today,” he said. “I just wanted to present it to you for review.”

Maple said he’ll also schedule a meeting with the Jefferson County Port Authority to discuss Jacoby’s proposal.

“(It’s) a discussion point,” he said. “I would hope that possibly the port would be open to this, being an agent for the port. However, if they’re not, I would ask you gentlemen to support them working on our behalf to work with the port.”

Maple said the port authority “was built for these kinds of projects.”

“If the port would be the owner of the project, the owner of the property and spec building, it would have a lot more latitude than commissioners would,” he said. “So that needs fleshed out.”

Commissioner Eric Timmons pointed out the port “has done this in the past, it’s their specialty. I would welcome their input.”

Commissioners also:

• Adopted a resolution to proceed with the Prime Time 1.2-mill replacement levy, though Timmons said he’d like to see the senior services program “find a way the whole county benefits from it.” Prime Time currently has 10 food delivery routes throughout the county, five of them with a waiting list, but commissioners are hoping they find other synergies.

“I’d like to see you do the outreach, go into these communities and see if you can do anything for them,” Maple agreed.

Prime Time Manager Trudy Wilson assured commissioners she will work on that, adding, “We’re looking in the next 18 months to implement some additional services.”

The 1.2-mill levy currently in place generates $1.9 million a year to pay for senior services, but Wilson previously told commissioners they’d like to expand their senior program and that will require more money. The replacement levy, if approved, would still be for 1.2 mills, but it would be based on current property valuations and would generate more revenue, which would help fund a kitchen expansion.

• Signed the contract with Occasion Nation LLC, for the holiday light display at the courthouse. The $8,500 fee covers 11 shows — each Friday and Saturday through Christmas, plus light-up night. Inclement weather forced city officials to reschedule light up night for last Friday, so Timmons said the company is “going to give us an extra day during the holidays” to make up for it.

• At Water and Sewer District Director Mike Eroshevich’s request, reallocated just over $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds that had been designated for the Santucci Booster Station replacement project plus another $150,000 set aside for the Murphy Lift Station and a pump project to the Water System Telemetry replacement project. Eroshevich told commissioners it “would be a better use of the money.”

• Approved purchase of new vehicles for the sheriff’s department, including a 2024 Ford 150 Police Responder from TEAM Automotive for $49,348. That’s the state minimum purchasing pricing, Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. said. The truck will be used for school safety division Special Response Team duties.

They also approved Abdalla’s request to transfer funds within his budget.

“I’m not asking for money, I’m just moving money around,” he said.

Commissioners also will use emergency funds to replace tactical vests and ballistic protection for deputy sheriffs, but told Abdalla they’d like to pursue legal action against the company that sold them their current models after learning the Department of Homeland Securities and the state had recommended replacing them “because they may not have been manufactured in the U.S.”

“We need our money back,” Maple said. “I don’t know what it takes but call the prosecutor’s office.”

Abdalla told commissioners there’ll likely be a class-action lawsuit filed.

• Opened three bids submitted for the Dillonvale storm sewer project. The CDBG-funded project has an estimated price tag of $84,757. Bidding were Double B Excavating of Tipecanoe, $70,500; Border Patrol of Hopedale, $76,500; and Cast and Baker of Canonsburg, $79,814.

• Received just one response, from Cedar One Realty, to their Request for Quotes for Tower building management services.

• Approved Engineer Jim Branagan’s request to sell 11 old, high-mileage county vehicles to a salvage yard. Branagan said the vehicles “do not run, are rusted, unsafe and unfit for the roadway.”

On Branagan’s salvage list: A 2003 Dodge pickup, a 2001 Dodge Durango; a 2008 Ford F250, a 2005 Ford Ranger, two 2008 Ford pickups; three Chevy Silverados (2006, 2004 and 2003), a 2004 Chevy Blazer and a 2004 Chevy Colorado.

Due to scheduling conflicts, next week’s meeting was moved to Wednesday.