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Steubenville council weighs $236,000 estimate to rebuild Beatty Park shelter
Summary
Council members debated whether to rebuild or remove the damaged Beatty Park shelter after engineers described the roof as unsafe and staff presented a $236,000 rebuild estimate with an estimated $130,480 funding gap; council agreed to proceed with plan review and bidding to obtain firm costs.
Council members on Nov. 10 grappled with what to do about the burned Beatty Park shelter after Engineering Director Mike Dolak described the remaining roof as a current safety hazard and presented options that include removal or full replacement.
"It's a dangerous situation up there now... the roofs are caving in on one side," Dolak said, urging timely action. Council member Jim McManamon presented a construction estimate of $197,000 plus a 15% contingency and other costs, totaling a rebuild estimate of $236,000, and said the city currently has roughly $106,000 identified (a $71,000 insurance payment, $10,000 from PNC and $25,000 from the Pugliese Foundation), leaving an approximate shortfall of $130,480.
Council members and staff discussed several courses: remove the remaining roof carefully to preserve the stone pillars and defer a full rebuild until supplemental grant funding is secured; proceed now to advertise construction bids so the city receives real prices; or rescind the ordinance passed the prior week authorizing the project and pause. City Manager Jim Mavromatis told council the Pugliese donation is not strictly time-limited but cautioned that smaller donor funding can lapse if not used as intended.
Parks Director Lori Fetherolf said shelters are rented "maybe 10 times a year" at about $80 per rental and estimated roughly 10,000 annual park visits to Beatty Park, offering context for return-on-investment questions. Finance Director Dave Lewis confirmed the $71,000 insurance payment had been separated into the recreation account for future use.
Staff explained procurement steps and likely costs for plan review and advertising: plan review was cited at about $630 and newspaper advertising roughly $450–$550. Dolak said plans were received the day of the meeting and estimated bids would be opened in early to mid-January (Jan. 7 or Jan. 14), with council returning to decide on award once bids are in.
After extended debate, council's working consensus was to "leave it as is" and allow plan review and bidding to proceed so the body would have firm numbers to inform any later decision about rescinding the prior ordinance or using general funds. The immediate safety issue — removing unstable roof elements — was presented as a required near-term action regardless of the ultimate funding choice.
