IMPROVEMENTS — Installation of recent home windows and different enhancements have helped give Historic Fort Steuben a recent look. — Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — Historic Fort Steuben is sporting a recent look, due to grant funding organizers secured to pay for enhancements.

Executive Director Judy Bratten stated the updates had been a lot wanted.

“We wanted to (address) some maintenance issues,” she stated Monday. “And we wanted to make the fort more accessible for everybody, especially people in wheelchairs or using walkers or pushing strollers. It really had nothing to do with Christmas, it was more with getting jobs done before winter.”

Christmas on the Fort and the Nutcracker Village are proper across the nook, however Bratten factors out they’ve guests with mobility points on website year-round.

“We had grants for some of these things and were finally able to get contractors to come in and do the work,” she stated.

“One of the big projects in the works for more than two years was replacing those huge windows in the exhibit hall in the Visitor Center. They were more than 20 years old and had lost their vacuum seal — they were steaming up and fogging up. The Visitor Center is part of the Ohio River Scenic Byway and it was designed to give visitors a view of the Ohio River — that’s why we had those big windows and the deck. So, we needed to replace the windows so people would have a good view. We also replaced the back deck, which had deteriorated.”

She stated the grant cash was a fantastic assist in paying for the updates, although they’ve additionally needed to dip into funds they’d “set aside over the years for maintenance projects like this.”

“We also did the walkways, steps and rails in the fort,” she stated. “All wooden structures need continued care and replacement. Also, because the building is more than 20 years old, we had to replace three sets of exterior doors — that was a complicated process, but we were able to finally complete that project.”

Bratten stated she will be able to’t connect a price ticket to the work as a result of the ultimate tallies aren’t in.

“We still don’t know how much the windows are going to cost,” she stated. “When they started doing the work they found a lot of rot, the framing for the windows had deteriorated, so there was a lot of carpentry work that had to be done, so we have no idea what the final bill will be. It’s the same thing with the walkway.”

She concedes it’s a giant endeavor for a non-public nonprofit that’s depending on donations, memberships, admissions and grants “to maintain and sustain the buildings and provide the programs we do.”

“All the things that were on our list of jobs needed to be done to make the fort a safe and pleasant place to be and fulfill our mission for history, but also as a scenic site for the Ohio River,” she identified.

City Council is also contemplating laws that will acceptable $250,000 in federal American Rescue Plan {dollars} towards development of restrooms on the Visitor Center.

Fort officers have usually cited the necessity for restrooms to accommodate crowds all year long, together with these attending summer time live shows, Christmas actions and different particular occasions within the park in addition to bus and college excursions. Their restroom services presently can accommodate solely two individuals at a time, so traces are lengthy, they’ve stated, and renting heated port-a-jons for the Christmas season alone prices a number of thousand {dollars}.

Adding weight to their want was a request by Harmonium Project organizers, who stated public restrooms, not simply potable items, would assist them develop their First Fridays occasions and schedule different actions.

“That would be a big help,” Bratten stated. “Sooner or later, we’re going to must do it. This is the first-place individuals come to after they come to city, and the very first thing they ask after they come within the door is ‘where’s the restroom?’ We present that service seven days every week for individuals coming to Steubenville–particularly on Sundays. I feel there’s just one restaurant open downtown and no public restrooms anyplace, so individuals come right here as a result of it’s a Visitor Center and so they know they’ll come right here and handle their wants.

“Restrooms would be good for the downtown, not just the fort. It’s something everybody downtown will benefit from, and as a nonprofit serving our community, we want to do our job.”

She stated there are a “lot of other projects we have to maintain and things to be improved at the fort and in the park, so it’s a constant — it’s part of what we have to do.”

“It’s like if you have a home, you have to maintain it, fix things when they break, make improvements as your family expands,” Bratten stated. “We’ve had a number of development over the last 20 or 30 years and we need to meet the wants of the individuals.

“Back when they first envisioned the fort, Visitor Center and park, I don’t think they had any idea how many things would be going on here,” she added. “They wanted to spark revitalization downtown and it did — now we have all these organizations doing things in the downtown, it’s something to be proud of.”