STEUBENVILLE — Jefferson County officials welcomed Youngstown State University to Steubenville Thursday, calling it “a major step forward for education and workforce development” in the community.

After a special afternoon board meeting, YSU President Bill Johnson announced the school’s board of trustees had approved a resolution to accept title to the roughly 180,000-square-foot building, furnishings and equipment left behind when Eastern Gateway Community College was forced to close its doors more than a year ago. The deal, which includes two parking lots, encompasses about 12.95 acres of the Eastern Gateway campus.

In his announcement, Johnson said the board’s decision “reflects YSU’s clear intent to meet the needs of the region.”

“I’m excited,” Jefferson County Commissioner Tony Morelli said. “It’s really, really good news for the county. My concern was always if they didn’t take it, how in the heck with our kind of funding (limitations) could we even upkeep the building … that was a major concern. But it’s also going to be good for the community — we get another four-year university in town to complement all the growth and opportunity that’s been happening at Franciscan University of Steubenville.”

Morelli said flying the YSU banner will be good for the local economy: “They’re going to be hiring for all types of positions, they’ll be good-paying jobs.”

“It’s absolutely good for the county,” he said. “But I think the biggest benefit is going to be for students who don’t want to go away to college or are working a couple of days a week. It’s good news all the way around. To fill the building up and do it with a very well-known, respected university, a state university, is huge for Jefferson County. Other positives are bringing education back to the building, and bringing workforce opportunities back to the region. And I know from talking to President Johnson and his staff, they’ve done a lot of work already working their curriculum to fit the needs of Jefferson County residents and get the price where it needs to be.”

Morelli said the decision follows “months of legal review and coordinated effort.” Although the Eastern Gateway Governance Corp. still held the deed, it lacked the financial means to maintain or operate the building. When the college closed, questions surrounding a key provision in the deed, a reverter clause, had to be resolved in court. Incorporated into the deed in the 1960s when the county-owned property was gifted to EGCC’s forerunner, Jefferson Technical Institute, the reverter clause stipulated the land would have to be returned to the county in the event educational activities there ceased.

The court ultimately ruled the clause to be valid and enforceable. The county then invoked its right to reclaim the land, and two months ago it was back in the Jefferson County fold.

Morelli said the reverter clause is already in the deed that will be presented to YSU for signing.

“This was months of hard work by a lot of good people,” he said, among them Prosecutor Jane Hanlin and Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Blake, who “guided the legal process from start to finish,” as well as his fellow commissioners, current Commissioners Eric Timmons and Jake Kleineke and former Commissioner Dave Maple, as well as other county officials.

“Jefferson County doesn’t have the resources to run a building like (that) as a college,” Morelli said. “Getting the facility into YSU’s hands ensures education continues here instead of the building sitting empty.”

Timmons said he, too, is excited to see their efforts come to fruition.

“Our goal from the beginning was to keep education in Jefferson County,” Timmons said. “With this news, that’s going to happen and I couldn’t be more excited for the area. I’m looking forward to the partnership with YSU and the economic opportunities it’s going to bring, since we own the surrounding land.”

Kleineke said it’s “a great thing.”

“We’re happy, tickled pink, that we have finally fulfilled a promise to continue higher education in the county,” he said.

“It’s been a big topic for citizens of Jefferson County, one they’ve been concerned about. Knowing YSU is going to make a commitment to open a college for higher education means jobs, it means opportunities for young people, for teachers, administrators and maintenance workers. It’s a very exciting time.”

And because of the reverter clause, he said they’ll be able to develop the rest of the property.

“We’ll still have a reverter clause,” he said. “We’ll be able to retain most of the property and we’re going to use it for better things. I think you’ll see a transformation there from here on out, a lot of people are very interested in that whole stretch. No matter what, it’s going to be great. It’s breathing new life (into the community.)”

Steubenville City Manager Jim Mavromatis welcomed the news, saying it will be a shot-in-the-arm for the community.

“I think it’s excellent,” Mavromatis said. “I know it’s something the county has been working on for months (but) it’s also important to the city and to the students who will be able to go there. It will be a great steppingstone for them.”

Mavromatis said it will also give the city’s finances a boost.

“We lost revenue when Eastern Gateway closed,” he said. “This will help us immensely with (that).”

Johnson, meanwhile, said the board of trustees resolution “is about access to a full spectrum of educational choices for the people previously served by EGCC, it’s about stability, responsibility and opportunity.”

“When EGCC closed its doors, thousands of students and families were left with uncertainty about their educational future,” he said in a release announcing the board’s decision. “YSU stepped in because this region deserves a reliable partner — one that keeps its promises and delivers results. Accepting this property is another concrete step toward building a long-term, full-service educational presence in Steubenville.”

Johnson pointed out YSU’s focus remains on “creating high-quality, career-aligned academic pathways that respond to workforce needs of the region, state and beyond.”

“We’re not just inheriting a building — we’re investing in a future,” he said. “By securing this campus space, we’re ensuring that local students continue to have access to strong career-enhancing programs, supportive services and a university that believes in its community. YSU is here to provide continuity, credibility and a pathway forward.”