Photo by Christopher Dacanay Bill Williams, former owner of the Sleep Inn and Suites, second from right, shook hands with the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR friar and president of Franciscan University, following signing of the purchase agreement that transferred the hotel’s ownership to the university Thursday.

STEUBENVILLE — Representatives of Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Sleep Inn and Suites signed a purchase agreement Thursday, transferring ownership of the hotel facility to the university, which announced plans to turn the property into a men’s residence hall.

“This is another opportunity to be able to celebrate — celebrate growth, celebrate new life, celebrate conversion,” said the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of the university, who signed the agreement that transferred ownership of the building from its former owner, Bill Williams.

A release from the university said the soon-to-be hall, located at 875 University Blvd. and downhill of the university’s main campus, would house 140 male students and be ready for use by the fall semester.

Dan Dentino, vice president of student life at Franciscan, told attendees at the signing that the new hall, named Blessed Solanus Casey Hall, will offer a “unique residential experience,” with amenities including a weight room and grab-and-go food options. The unique amenities, Dentino said, will accompany the university’s standard residential qualities, such as live-in residential staff, a chaplain and on-wing men’s and women’s groups called households. The university has plans to include a chapel in the residence, a feature included in all of the university’s residence halls.

“This building aligns perfectly well with our core values, (which are) encounter, conversion and community,” Dentino said.

The university also is working to plan large-scale events to make the hall a secondary hub for students, Dentino said. For the property’s large outdoor space, plans include the construction of two pickleball courts, a basketball court, a turf field, two hammock villages and a patio with fire pits overlooking the Ohio River, which Dentino called “the best view on campus.”

Additionally, the university’s release said the hall will include a grotto dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as well as large rooms for students and private bathrooms.

“Blessed Solanus Casey Hall will be the doorway to the university,” Dentino said, “and for our students, it will be the doorway to the city itself.”

Phil Rook, director of real estate development at Franciscan, said after the signing that a newly implemented shuttle service provided by Heavenly Coach of Steubenville will connect the new hall, and the university’s other existing residence halls at the foot of the hill, with Franciscan’s hilltop campus.

Construction has already begun on a sidewalk to connect the hall with campus, Rook added. The sidewalk will run alongside the hill and connect with Franciscan’s St. Bonaventure Hall. New light posts, emergency phone towers and security cameras will dot the new sidewalk, Rook added.

Rook said discussions about a new hall began last fall, when the university projected its influx of students would leave it over capacity in terms of residence. Rook said that after looking at different options, the university began initial conversations with Williams in the fall, and discussions had become more concrete by February.

Williams spoke before the signing, saying he had grown to love Steubenville, viewing it as the “gateway” from Western Pennsylvania into Ohio. After surveying multiple locations, Williams said, he had settled on developing the site of the former Sleep Inn and Suites, which had originally been the location of a bowling alley.

Williams said he gives credit to Brenan Pergi, vice president of operations at Franciscan, for convincing him to sell the property. He recalled the work and funds he spent on the property, as well as the franchise termination fee.

“What (Brenan) talked about was exactly what the (university’s) mission is — educating and evangelizing,” Williams said. “(Students) are going to come in here as kids, and they’re going to leave as young women and men.”

Having played on the University of Kentucky football team, Williams first came to know about Steubenville through his teammates Wally Pesuit of Wintersville and Dave Moitis of Steubenville, according to comments from Rook.

Williams, who first came to the area to build the hotel 10 years ago, gave back to the community by donating part of the proceeds of the purchase to Steubenville High School and Catholic Central High School. The two donations amounted to $5,000 each for the football programs at the schools. Players and coaches of both teams attended the signing to receive honorary checks.

Pergi said the university owes its own debt of gratitude to Williams for making the acquisition possible. The acquisition, he said, will benefit the university and the community, as the university is the source of more than $100 million in yearly direct spending in the local economy.

“The presence of the university is a force for improving the community through educational services, workforce development, as well as the thousands of hours our employees and students contribute to volunteer service,” Pergi said. “More and more of our alumni are deciding to graduate and stay in Steubenville.”

Also, Pergi said the purchase will lead to additional revenue for the local area from the bed tax, the maximum rate of which in Ohio is 6 percent. Pergi explained later that available capacity at hotels in Steubenville is above demand. With the Sleep Inn and Suites closing, he said, demand will increase at the Best Western Plus Franciscan Square Inn and Suites Steubenville, which has higher rates than the local average.

“The bed tax is based on the bed revenue, so more revenue will be generated at the Best Western, which is going to result in a higher overall bed tax (income),” Pergi said.

The Rev. Solanus Casey is the namesake of the new hall. Casey, a priest who served in Detroit during the early 20th century, was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2017. Pivonka said no one remembers who first suggested the hall be named after Casey, but the name immediately stuck with the planning team.

In attendance at the signing were Mayor Jerry Barilla, City Manager Jim Mavromatis and Councilwoman at large Kimberly Hahn, Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon and Sixth Ward Councilman Michael Hernon.

Hernon said after the signing, “It’s an exciting investment in the community. The university continues to grow, and as the university grows, it yields great fruit for the city.”

In his remarks before the signing, Pivonka said, “To the degree that the university is blessed, the local community will be blessed, and to the degree that the local community is blessed, the university will be blessed.”

Pivonka recalled how Crisis Magazine, a Catholic opinion publication, rated Steubenville as one of the top 10 cities to raise a Catholic family in.

“This is a match made in heaven, Franciscan University and Steubenville, Ohio,” Pivonka said. “Let’s do what we can to continue to bless that.

“Ultimately, (this will) be a place where the residents of this hall will encounter the Lord … in their relationships with one another, in their studies, in their prayers. This is what we are about here at Franciscan University.”