WINTERSVILLE — As guest speaker for the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce’s 115th-annual dinner, John Brown noted the development of the new Ohio River bridge was a lengthy process.

“You realize it took 25 years to get the bridge. It didn’t happen overnight,” he said during Wednesday’s event at the St. Florian Event Center.

The former executive director of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission said the span would not have been possible if a committee of 25 public officials and community members hadn’t been able to agree on the need for it and the best location based on information gathered by consultants for two studies commissioned by BHJ.

Brown noted much was happening in the region when he stepped into the position in 1998. He recalled in his first week on the job, being among 15 busloads of Ohio Valley residents transported to Washington, D.C., for a Stand Up for Steel rally.

The meet was organized to protest the Chinese government’s subsidization of exported steel, creating a glut that threatened America’s domestic steel industries.

Brown noted in the same year, Sunset Boulevard was being expanded.

But the biggest transportation project in the last 24 years was little more than a wish.

Brown noted the idea of span between Wellsburg and Brilliant had been raised before, with possibly the earliest attempt in 1928 during the era of Calvin Coolidge.

He said in 1998, the proposal was supported based on projected lifespans of the Fort Steuben Bridge, since demolished by the Ohio Department of Transportation; and Market Street Bridge, which only later underwent $16.5 million in renovations; and a concern about travel time in the event of even a temporary closing of the newer Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Brown noted because of the Market Street Bridge’s weight limit, larger trucks would be forced to travel 25 miles north or south to cross the river.

He said when it came time to consider a location, “We had a lot of discussion as you can imagine.”

Brown said the consultants presented for the committee’s consideration various factors, including environmental impact, but one that often has been overlooked, is the distance between piers needed for barges to safely pass under the span.

He said to explore that issue, simulations involving the Coast Guard were done in Owingsville, Ky.

Brown noted public comment also was sought through five open meetings held on both sides of the river.

He said once the committee had agreed on the need for a bridge and its location, a strong lobbying effort ensued.

“We went too many times to Washington, D.C. You just have to keep pounding the issue,” he said.

But Brown noted the effort resulted in former U.S. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller allocating $15 million for the project’s initial cost.

While the amount paled in comparison to the bridge’s $131 million cost, Brown said it was vital in getting the project off the ground.

He said some have questioned why West Virginia assumed 60 percent of its cost, while Ohio paid 40 percent of it. He explained it all had to do with the two states’ borders under the river.

Brown said various agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection, were involved in the bridge’s approval and development, but it wouldn’t have happened if not for the committee of 25 who gathered for 16 meetings to hash out the pros and cons.

“Believe me, there was push and pull,” he said, noting a few members were in the audience.

“Your commitment was necessary. I can’t emphasize it too much,” Brown told them.

He said the bridge became reality because the 25 were willing to work together and demonstrated patience, a value he said can be hard to find today.

“There was a need to listen, learn, evaluate and reach a consensus,’ said Brown, who added, “It is my hope that model of cooperation can be applied to future regional projects.”

Chamber members also heard from Kate Sedgmer, the group’s president, and Toni Moreland, its chair, who presented the chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Irene Moore for her 36 years of leadership of the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District.

Sedgmer noted Moore has worked to promote the wise use of natural resources in a variety of ways.

They have included coordination over the last 30 years of Outdoor Days, a weeklong program at Fernwood State Forest in which thousands of the county’s fifth graders have learned about ecosystems and related careers; and local and state Envirothons, in which students’ understanding of environmental conditions and conservation issues are tested for the chance of winning scholarships.

It was noted that Moore also established the Steel Valley Loggers Chapter, through which local loggers could gain certification through the Ohio Forestry Association after demonstrating their knowledge of the best practices for ensuring a forest’s stability.

Moore has served on the forestry association’s board of trustees and as president of the Ohio Association of Soil and Water Conservation District Employees, a group aimed at sharing information between conservation districts and with state and national organizations.

Moore said she was one of nine siblings taught by their parents to do more than what is expected of them.

“That’s not difficult when you love what you do and love who you associate with,” she said, adding all working in soil and water conservation districts share a common goal, to preserve natural resources.

“This lifetime achievement has been a labor of love,” said Moore.

The chamber also recognized Taylor Steeves of Taylor Insurance and Financial Services as its Young Professional of the Year and Gene Zrinyi as its Ambassador of the Year.

A Lisbon native who attended Youngstown State University, Steeves opened her insurance agency in Steubenville four and a half years ago and she truly loves her work because she knows she can have a positive impact on people’s lives.

She said she and her husband have been happy to settle in Jefferson County.

“It felt like home. It’s a wonderful community and it just felt right,” she said.

Sedgmer said all of the chamber’s ambassadors are invaluable, lending their time to speak to small business owners and potential new business owners at various events and aiding the group in other ways.

But she said Zrinyi, a financial adviser with Tri-State Financial Services, has been “the first to show up at events and the last to leave” and lent his leadership skills when needed.

Asked what he would tell a business owner thinking of joining the chamber, he said, ‘You’ll get as much from it as you put in.”

Zrinyi said chamber functions offer a great opportunity to learn and form connections with other professionals.

“You never know when you’re attending events, who you might meet,” he said.