PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Portsmouth City Council voted 6-0 Monday night to accept a $400,208 state brownfield remediation grant, lease Rose Street Park to a Sciotoville youth sports league and enter a cooperative paving agreement with the Scioto County Engineer’s office, clearing all three items on its meeting agenda without opposition.
City Manager Sam Sutherland told council the brownfield grant would pay for remediation of two long-vacant commercial buildings at 802 and 804 Chillicothe St. in downtown Portsmouth, work that had been previewed on the council’s agenda ahead of Monday’s meeting. Council member David Malone moved to waive the standard three-reading process so the grant funds could be deposited and put to use immediately, and the full council agreed.
Council also authorized a lease of Rose Street Park to the Sciotoville Youth Sports League, a nonprofit that Sutherland said already maintains the park. Council member Dennis Packard, who sponsored the item, said league president Kenny Houston has worked closely with the city and that the group currently borrows a mower from the city fire department to keep the grass cut. City Solicitor John Haas said the lease would require the league’s official nonprofit registration number and would include insurance coverage, while the city would continue to handle sanitation at the site.
The third item, a cooperative agreement with the Scioto County Engineer’s office, sets up 2027 paving work that Sutherland said will send the bulk of next year’s resurfacing to Sciotoville, after crews concentrate this year on the city’s west end. He said the arrangement saves money by keeping paving contractors working in one area rather than moving between sites, and that a $200,000 state grant will cover about 40% of the cost, with the remainder coming from property tax revenue and the city’s capital improvement budget. Harding Avenue will continue to be repaved separately by the Ohio Department of Transportation, council members noted.
Sutherland also flagged upcoming disruptions tied to road work in the city, telling council that an approaching project on Walnut Street will be difficult to navigate and advising Wheelersburg-area residents to use the bridge to avoid delays. He reminded council that Shearers Hollow Road remains closed for six months for repairs.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Portsmouth.
