T-L Photo/SHELLEY HANSON MARTINS FERRY city officials attend Wednesday’s regular City Council meeting. Clockwise from left are Mayor John Davies, Council President Kristine Davis, City Clerk Kay McFarlan and Service Director Andy Sutak.

MARTINS FERRY — The city of Martins Ferry plans to condemn a house today that has no running water and high weeds and, at one point, may have been the residence of a city councilman.

Mayor John Davies made the announcement during Wednesday’s City Council meeting, following complaints made during the meeting by resident Jeremy Shrodes about high weeds at the property. Shrodes said he lives next door to the house and is tired of the property not being kept up.

Whether City Councilman Rick Rodgers still lives in the home at 1307 N. Seventh Street could not be determined Wednesday. Davies said he did not know if Rodgers still lived there.

Rodgers was not present during the meeting, as he had a death in his family.

Following the meeting, Rodgers declined to comment, citing the death in his family.

Davies said Rodgers had been called into Belmont County Northern Division Court and fined more than once because of high grass issues with the property, which he does not own but may have been living in at the time.

During the meeting, Councilman Robert Hunker asked Shrodes what the address of the problem property was. Then, using his cellphone, he looked it up on the Belmont County property records website, which showed that another man who resides in Pennsylvania owns the house.

“Why aren’t we going after him?” Hunker asked.

It was noted the city has attempted to also hold the property owner accountable.

Shrodes added the property owner used to cut the grass in the past but stopped for some reason.

After the meeting, Davies said the city’s property maintenance code allows the city to condemn a house if it does not have running water.

“We can put an uninhabitable sign on it,” he said, adding that he planned to do so today.

The house can still be entered, but no one can live in it until the issue is fixed.

In other matters, Davies also announced the city’s swimming pool was closed again for another mechanical issue. A starter on the pool pump is not working and needs to be replaced. Estimates for the part have ranged between $1,500 and $3,000, he noted. Davies anticipates the pool will reopen in about a week.

The pool recently reopened for the season after work had to be done to fix other mechanical problems.

Davies also noted this year the Martins Ferry Chamber of Commerce does not have the funding to pay for a fireworks display, known as the SkyShow, for Fourth of July. He said because of the pandemic the chamber did not have the opportunity to do its usual fundraising via local businesses.

Davies said he was looking into possibly getting a display organized and sponsored. However, if it does not work out he wants to hold a July 4 gathering at City Park for residents to enjoy instead. He asked council to approve its usual $2,000 it gives for the fireworks toward this effort if necessary. Council approved the appropriation.

Meanwhile, Davies noted the city plans to draw up a new agreement with the Martins Ferry Park Board that would give the city the authority to manage the Rec Center building. The park board would still be responsible for the management of the pool and concession stand. Davies said he does not believe the park board has the means or the manpower to keep up the entire building and park grounds, that the city should take over instead.

“They don’t have enough equipment to do what we can,” Davies said.

In other business, Colerain Pike, Martins Ferry, resident Leslie Link asked city officials for help in fixing a water runoff problem damaging her grounds. She said the problem has been ongoing for five years, and past service directors said they could help, but nothing was done.

Service Director Andy Sutak said he was in the process of looking for emergency or possibly federal funding to fix the situation. Link said she was told previously she could not do it herself because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would not allow her to do so. Davies said he would contact the Army Corps about the situation. He believes gabion baskets could be part of the solution by allowing the water to go through but not the soil.

Link said she is concerned the entire hillside will eventually come down, damaging a neighbor’s house in the process.

Meanwhile, Councilman Tom Burns said he met a tourist who stopped in Martins Ferry to see the sights and eat a meal while on her way to Maine from Michigan. He said the woman was impressed with the city. She was visiting the historic Walnut Grove Cemetery when Burns met her. She also had dinner at Belmont Brewerks on Fourth Street.

“She loved Martins Ferry,” Burns said, adding he hoped she would spread the word about the city to others during her travels in her camper.