PORT — The Jefferson County Port Authority’s name is displayed on a sign outside the Jefferson County Tower building at 500 Market St., Steubenville, where it has an office on the first floor. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — County officials continue to work toward construction of a spec building in the Jefferson County Industrial Park, with the latest progress update arriving during the Jefferson County Port Authority’s regular meeting Wednesday.

Port authority Executive Director Robert Naylor told the agency’s board of directors that he attended a work session with the Jefferson County commissioners, the county auditor and staff March 27 regarding loan financing for the spec building. The port will be submitting lender interest letters to obtain third-party loans for the building, he said.

The port authority is collaborating with the commissioners, who’ve given their financial guarantee to the project, to construct a 50,000-square-foot industrial spec building on a roughly 13-acre site in the industrial park. A move-in ready structure meant to attract businesses, the building would be a pre-fabricated, expandable steel building.

To help finance the approximately $7.03 million project, the port authority has already applied for grant and loan funding from the Ohio Department of Development and JobsOhio. Bank loans and owner cash equity are expected to make up the difference.

Separately, Naylor said he’s written a letter of support for program assistance being offered to the Yorkville Intermodal spec building’s anticipated tenant.

Maple Manufacturing LLC, a steel processing and fabrication business currently located in Weirton, plans to relocate into the Yorkville spec building, according to the port authority’s letter. Established in 2016, the company processes steel coils and cut sheets to enhance metal for container producers.

The company’s fixed asset investment for the relocation is above $1.3 million, factoring in a new production line, office construction, gas line and electrical improvements and environmental permitting, the letter states.

Maple Manufacturing employs 28 full-time employees, including six Ohio residents, the letter states, and the relocation will create seven full-time jobs at an average hourly rate of $24.35 an hour.

The letter of support was requested by JobsOhio, which has offered Maple Manufacturing $100,000 in program assistance to support the company’s move, Naylor said.

Also, Naylor reported that he’s submitted a complaint regarding the former Smith Truck Service Inc. property in Mingo Junction, with the hope of having the property turned over for sale and subsequent redevelopment.

The property has been in limbo since the death of the last shareholder of Smith Truck Service, which had its charter canceled in 2006 due to non-payment of franchise taxes. Recently, the port authority has been working with the individual’s estate in West Virginia to purchase the property and transfer it for development by another entity.

The port authority’s complaint will be published in the Herald-Star for six weeks, Naylor said. A 28-day response period will follow, after which the port will advance with the process for quiet title action.

Located at 1130 Commercial St., the property underwent environmental testing in 2022 that identified the presence of asbestos in a structure. Testing was made possible through efforts by the local Brownfield Coalition, which includes the port authority, Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle, and the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission.

In other business:

• The board heard updates on the port authority’s fiscal year 2022 Ohio Department of Development Brownfield Remediation Grant Program properties. Naylor said he revised an amendment letter requesting “no further action” status and demonstrating the site’s former tank cavity meets worker contact standards for 1-, 2- and 4-trimethylbenzene at depths of eight to 10 feet.

• Naylor updated the board on the standard audit of the port authority’s $40 million 2021 bond issuance for JSW Steel USA Ohio Inc. to finance an electric arc furnace and slab caster improvements. The port will submit a request for reimbursement for the payment of legal fees incurred to bond trustee BNY.

• Naylor said he prepared eligibility determination forms for the former Ohio Motor Group property at 900 Sixth St., Steubenville, as part of the port authority’s Environmental Protection Agency Community-wide Brownfield Assessment Grant work.

• Steubenville Councilmember Dave Albaugh introduced Jessica Gumm, the city’s new planning director, to the board, which welcomed her.