COMMENDED — The Jefferson County Board of Health recognized Marc Maragos, director of environmental health, for HIS 30 years of service to the Jefferson County General Health District. — Christopher Dacanay
STEUBENVILLE — Due to reports of historically low complaint numbers, a Jefferson County Board of Health member told the operators of Apex Landfill to keep up the good work.
During the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Marc Maragos, director of environmental health for the Jefferson County General Health District, reported that 17 calls had been made to the Apex odor complaint hotline in September, with another 11 made so far this month.
For an active landfill long-mired in odor complaints from surrounding communities, the most recent numbers signal an “outstanding month” for Apex, according to Terry Bell, board member and environmental committee chairperson.
“The calls have pretty much — for the last few months — been steady,” Maragos responded. “We’re not getting spikes. We’re not getting to where there’s no complaints or anything like that, but (it’s an improvement) compared to years in the past when we would get 300-some complaints.”
Registered Sanitarian Carla Gampolo noted Interstate Waste Services, which owns the Amsterdam landfill, has “more than enough equipment” to handle the site, including six compactors, bulldozers, trucks and a recently opened gondola offloading facility.
“It runs like a well-oiled machine out there,” Gampolo said. “If you haven’t been out there in a while, it’s changed a lot as far as just seeing the amount of waste that’s going in out there.”
She continued: “They have installed multiple different organisms in order to stop or reduce the amount of odor coming out of the landfill. They have just covered with temporary cover another 24 acres on the slopes. So, in doing that, that eliminates leachate seeps … (and) gas escaping … so the only area they’re truly worried about is right around the work face, where they’re actually putting waste in. They’ve come a long way.”
“The numbers say it,” Bell added, addressing three IWS employees in the audience: “Compared to what it used to be, … I have to say, whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
Separately, Nursing Director Kylie Smogonovich updated the board on her division’s efforts.
Staff members have 23 influenza vaccine clinics scheduled, dates and times for which are listed on jchealth.com. All public clinics will be accompanied by naloxone and medication lock box distribution, while supplies last.
The health department has received its lead testing machine. Staff members have taken in-service training and are completing online certification to be able to check individuals’ lead levels, Smogonovich said.
Also, the department has started the new grant year for Cribs for Kids. During the 2024 grant year, staff distributed 79 travel cribs, with 55 having been distributed during the 2023 grant year. Smogonovich said that cribs can be distributed to non-custodial parents this year, so both parents of a child can have a crib on hand, regardless of who has custody at the time.
Finally, Smogonovich said the Jefferson County Diaper Bank received 3,630 diapers during the football diaper drive hosted with the Steubenville High School Key Club. The department is now seeking sponsorships and preparing for its Diaper Dash fundraiser, which will take place Dec. 14.
Kelly Wilson, director of finance and administration reported that the JCGHD’s 2023 audit has been completed. The audit was reportedly of such quality that it prompted the audit manager to comment: “As for your board, they shouldn’t have any issue because this was a very good and clean audit” and “The board of health received the best opinion you can receive.”
Wilson said she requested an exit conference with the manager, who said it wouldn’t be necessary.
“I wanted everybody to know how far we’ve come and where we were,” Wilson said, adding, “I just wanted everyone to know that we’re in real good shape. … To say that we’ve come leaps and bounds, that’s an understatement.”
“The 2020 and the 2021 combined audit, it was horrible, all the findings that were in that audit, then the changes that were made in the 2022 audit,” Wilson said. “Everything got corrected in one year, and they said they’d never seen a department turn it around like that in one year, so I’m pretty pleased.”
In other business:
• Henry said the health department must adopt performance management and quality improvement plans to accreditation requirements through the Public Health Accreditation Board. He presented the board with a joint plan — blended plans reportedly being common — that utilizes an updated 2020 plan that was never brought to the board for approval. The joint plan will allow staff to raise items for quality improvement, which will be vetted by a quality council using a rating evaluation form. The department must provide proof of starting two QI projects by the end of the year, he added.
• Henry noted the health department has applied for a share of the $250,000 in funding available from the Ohio Department of Health for assistance with accreditation. He said the funding would hopefully help cover costs for the departments 2025 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.
• The board recognized Maragos, commending him for 30 years of service to the JCGHD. A 1994 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Maragos is the second employee spotlight subject of the newly established JCGHD staff newsletter.
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