ST. CLAIRSVILLE — City leaders are considering an opportunity to repair damage done to some electrical infrastructure.

Safety and Service Director Jeremy Greenwood told City Council on Monday that an American Electric Power project to update one of its lines damaged an electric line the city had de-energized at the time. He said the damage was done by a contractor working for AEP. Greenwood elaborated after the meeting, noting the hardships the city has undergone due to this loss.

“It makes it harder for us. When we had the cold snap we had to really, really watch how we were feeding the system from that line,” he said. “We didn’t want to overload one and underload one. This is a very critical line that comes right from that substation into our system and without it, we’re dancing.”

Greenwood said the damage occurred last fall. A pole was also taken out. He said the area is at the Hess substation on Pecks Lane to the Roundhouse Gas Station.

“We’ve been kind of doing the runaround with them to make sure that it gets taken care of without the city paying for it,” he said of AEP. “We’re getting by with it, but this makes it a lot easier to transfer loads from the substation.”

He said the repair work does not need to be put out for bid, and the city has received two estimates from contractors — one for $98,000 and one for $198,000, with the higher offer due to the demands at the time. Greenwood said AEP has agreed to fully reimburse the city after work is complete.

Work could begin next Monday and would take about two weeks.

“It’s not a lot of work,” he said. “It’s just an amount that the city shouldn’t have to pay for. … We would have loved to have had it last month when it was 20 degrees out because the electricity was being used a lot more.”

Councilwoman Kristi Lipscomb initially moved to pass legislation authorizing Greenwood to accept the $98,000 estimate and allow the contractor to begin the project as an emergency, forgoing the need for three readings, but she withdrew the motion on learning that Law Director Joseph Vavra had not yet had a chance to read through the contract. Vavra said the legislation was put forward quickly because the city recently received the estimate. Vavra said he would prefer to review the contract first. Lipscomb agreed.

“That’s a chunk of money, and I don’t want to see the city eat it. I want to make sure that agreement is foolproof,” she said.

Council President Jim Velas said it could be read as an emergency during the next meeting. Councilman Mike Smith suggested a special meeting could be scheduled sooner.

The next regular meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. Feb. 20, a Tuesday rather than the usual Monday, due to Presidents’ Day.

In other matters, Lipscomb said the committee to consider whether a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area would be suited to the city is recommending that council establish a DORA. Council voted for the administration to begin looking into applying for a DORA and setting up rules. The vote was unanimous, but Terra Butler, who co-owns the Newellstown Diner, abstained. The Newellstown Diner initially approached council last year about the possibility of a DORA.

Lipscomb said the committee has looked into other communities with DORAs, their procedures and measures to ensure public safety. She said several small businesses have also approached the committee and voiced approval and the expectation of business growth.

Afterward, Libscomb said the issue remains preliminary and public meetings will take place before council votes to approve establishing the area.

The state allows for a city council to set up a specific area, usually downtown, involving businesses such as restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages. The Ohio General Assembly amended the Ohio Revised Code (Section 4301.82), effective on March 23, 2022, to create this exemption from certain open container provisions.