The first day of April may be dedicated to fools, but this year it will mark the beginning of an important period of time for the final two municipalities in Belmont County.
Every 10 years, April 1 is celebrated as Census Day, the official kickoff to the federal government’s decennial effort to obtain an accurate accounting of its citizenry. The population data helps determine a region’s representation in the U.S. House, and it dictates eligibility for federal dollars, too.
The data is utilized by businesses looking to relocate or expand, helping to determine if a particular community is the proper fit from a population and economic standpoint. For those reasons, an accurate census count is important for all.
For Martins Ferry and St. Clairsville, though, full to near full participation in the census is paramount.
The line differentiating a city from a village is a population mark of 5,000 citizens. Come in at or above that mark and a city remains a city. Fall below, as the village of Bellaire did in 2000, and city status is taken away, along with additional funding.
The 2010 census saw Martins Ferry reign as the county’s most populace community with 6,915 citizens. St. Clairsville, the county seat, was second with 5,184. No other community in Belmont County achieved city status and only Bellaire (4,278) and Barnesville (4,193) had more than 4,000 residents.
Those were official numbers assigned to both Martins Ferry and St. Clairsville, and both cities had above 80-percent mail-in participation so the counts were fairly accurate. Population numbers estimated in 2018, however, paint a declining picture. Martins Ferry was estimated at that time to have 6,596 citizens while St. Clairsville was estimated at 5,012.
While estimated, it paints a potentially bleak picture for St. Clairsville as it’s dangerously close to the population version of the Mendoza line. Both municipalities elected new mayors in 2019, and Kathryn Thalman of St. Clairsville and John Davies of Martins Ferry are both in the know when it comes to the importance of getting an accurate count for 2020.
“We don’t want to lose all that funding,” Thalman noted. “So, we are going to make sure every person is counted. It will be hard as there is a lot of transit traffic in town, but every resident is going to be counted.”
It’s a position echoed by Davies.
“We’d lose funding if it becomes a village,” Davies said. “And that’s important. But Ferry is also the biggest city in Belmont County, and that’s important to us, too.”
Ethane Cracking and Census Counting
The proposed ethane cracker at the site of the former R.E. Berger Plant south of Shadyside in Dilles Bottom is a constant hot topic of discussion. Is it coming? When will the official announcement be staged? Just how big of an economic boon will it provide to area communities in the short- and long-term?
Officials from PTT Global met with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine as recently as Dec. 3 at the site. No official word came from that gathering, but air and water permits have long been approved and the majority of the citizenry is hopeful an official announcement is coming.
The sooner the better, too, in terms of the census count.
The construction of the facility would take years and would see thousands of workers relocate to the Upper Ohio Valley to undertake such an endeavor. They have to live somewhere so several local officials are hoping for the announcement to take place well before April 1.
Shadyside is at ground zero for the population increase, as noted by a pamphlet handed out by Assistant Police Chief Jeff Loeffler that details a potential 13 percent increases in population during the next five years. It’s a considerable jump, not just in citizens but in tax revenue, too.
Shadyside won’t be the only town to see a boost in population either, but what if there is no boost? No cracker plant?
While it may seem like a foregone conclusion, there’s not guarantee it will be built. At least not yet. Local leaders have to be careful counting too greatly on a “proposed” economic development that could be canceled by the Thailand-based corporation.
“What’s the saying, pray for the best but prepare for the worst?” Thalman said. “Even if it doesn’t get built, this area has a lot of advantages. We have river access, world-class medical and education facilities all within driving distance, and there’s so much more we have to offer.
“We’ll suffer some growing pains transitioning away from being a quiet, little bedroom community,” she added, “but we will grow responsibly in the face of new industries.”
Thalman noted there is property both at the west and east ends of town that is available for development and could make a nice fit for business looking to expand. In her role as mayor, Thalman said she’s going to work with the members of St. Clairsville Council to examine the city’s codified ordinances to make the municipality more business friendly while preserving the spirit that encompasses, “Paradise on the Hill.”
But in preparing for the worst, Thalman knows the possibility of tough decisions looms if things don’t go as planned.
“I can’t even begin to speculate specifically what we’d do not having gone over the budget in depth yet,” she said, noting that upon taking office officially in January she’s going get that up-close examination of city budgeting and finances. “But seniors have learned to cut costs in their own budgets and not waste money and we should apply that to the city’s budget.”
Point of Purple Pride
Davies knows being the largest city in the county is a point of pride for the citizens of Martins Ferry. Unlike the county seat, Martins Ferry has considerably more wiggle room before it gets close to the 5,000-citizen threshold.
The newly elected mayor believes the city is ready to make a turnaround and expects that population number to rise.
“We had a decrease (the last census) through economic failure, but now we’re starting to have more people and businesses moving in,” Davies explained. “We want to keep everyone in Ferry that we can, not only for the census but also for our town pride.”
Prior to the most recent census, the country experienced the Great Recession from 2007 through 2009 and the Upper Ohio Valley wasn’t immune to its effects. Families were forced to uproot and seek employment elsewhere and every community locally saw a downturn in population. Davies, in addition to being a business owner, also owns real estate in town so he knows better than most the flux of the city’s population.
Presently, signs are pointing toward the positive.
“There is a great demand for rentals right now,” Davies noted. “We’re starting to have more spin-off businesses moving in and the workers want to relocate some place close to their place of employment. And I know there are a lot of houses in Martins Ferry right now that are for sale.
“If we increase our citizenship, it will also increase the buying power of our citizens, and our tax base,” the new mayor added. “It’s a win-win situation for our city.”
