News & Events

Beautification crew for county is being formed

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County residents receiving state public assistance will have an opportunity to get valuable work experience while beautifying the county under a new county Job and Family Services program.

Residents receiving Ohio Works First, a cash assistance program, or food stamps, are required to work or go to school so many hours a week while receiving the assistance, said Nicholas Balakos, county Job and Family Services director.

Balakos said crews will work throughout the county collecting litter, painting public property, doing grounds keeping at parks and general maintenance. About 10 to 20 workers will be out in the community at any time, he said.

The county Job and Family Services will provide a van for transportation, a supervisor and tools and equipment, Balakos said.

“This is almost like adopting a section of a highway,” Balakos said. “It is something to help the communities in the county.”

Balakos said the county has secured funding from the state for the program over the next several years.

He will be meeting with representatives of the Belmont-Jefferson Solid Waste Authority, Jefferson County Recycling and Litter Prevention and the county sheriff’s department about coordinating efforts so there is no duplication of work areas.

“We’ll coordinate the activities to bring more manpower to the table to combat the problem,” he said.

Balakos said participants will receive training in small hand tools, lawn care equipment, proper handling and usage of lawn chemical treatments, weed control, planting and seeding, stump removal, tree planting and pruning and other miscellaneous skills.

“They will learn about the environment as they care for the land, water, wildlife and natural resources around them,” Balakos said. “They will develop work skills such as promptness, team building, accountability and reliability, while building confidence. The program can offer excellent entry-level skill development to participants, expand their community knowledge and be a great benefit in assisting them to become self-sustaining.”

Balakos said the program will be up and operating in about a month.

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