GOURMET GOODS — Ruth Casey, revolving loan administrator for the Community Improvement Corp., goes through a gourmet buffet line at the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School Tuesday afternoon. The JVS culinary arts students prepared the buffet for the CIC’s March meeting, which was held at the school. - Paul Giannamore

Soccer tourney could provide big boost for local economy

BLOOMINGDALE - A soccer tournament to be hosted by the Jefferson Kiwanis Youth Soccer League in October has the potential to make a $600,000 impact on the local economy.

The Riverview Soccer Spectacular is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 8-10, with most of the games to be played at the soccer league's fields at the Jefferson County Air Park, according to Arnold Zirkes, tournament organizer from NetResults, his firm that organizes youth soccer tournaments around the region.

Zirkes said the plan is for 100 teams to come to play from within a three-hour drive of the area. He said based on results from similar tournaments he's organized, the area can experience a $400,000 to $600,000 bump in the economy from spending by teams and families on everything from hotel rooms to food to shopping and fuel for vehicles.

Zirkes told the Community Improvement Corp. during its March meeting, held Tuesday at the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School, that tournament officials are organizing having 400 hotel rooms or more within a half hour to be booked for the tournament, including all the hotels in Steubenville and Weirton.

"If we do get 100 teams, we will need more fields, and we're looking into that now," Zirkes said. "We also will need 75 to 100 volunteers daily for the weekend." Volunteers would handle everything from work on field marshaling and handling paperwork for the tournament to parking.

Plans also are being made to allow local sponsoring businesses to put together a "goody bag" of items and coupons and brochures to give to each player and family that attends. The tournament will be for players from age 8 to high school seniors.

Zirkes said the youth soccer league is working with the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, the convention and visitors bureau, Progress Alliance and others to organize the business support for the event.

Ed Looman, executive director of Progress Alliance, the economic development organization run by the CIC, that each player can represent six or seven people coming to the area, including parents, grandparents, siblings and friends.

The CIC heard a presentation from Dale Edwards, JVS superintendent, on the function of the school. As the CIC trustees munched on gourmet hors d'oeuvre prepared by the JVS culinary arts students, Edwards explained the school makes its graduates better prepared to head to two-year and four-year colleges and earn higher wages when they enter the job market.

Edwards said the culinary arts program is one of 16 offered at the school, which has 400 students for the current school year. Edwards noted the programs offered attract students from high schools throughout Jefferson County and from neighboring Harrison County.

Edwards said the sixth home in the student-built Breezewood Manor subdivision, adjacent to the school, will be offered for auction in May. He said the fifth house sold for $150,000 a few years ago. The homes and subdivision were developed by the school, with students doing the majority of the work on construction and design of each home, including wiring, carpentry and masonry.

Looman announced there are 250 tickets sold so far for the March 29 Best of the County event to be held at St. Florian Hall in Wintersville. Looman hopes to see 400 tickets sold. The event is being utilized as a fundraiser to try to make up for the loss of $35,000 in operating money from a grant formerly supplied by the state Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, through the county Department of Job and Family Services. The state eliminated the grants, Looman said, meaning Progress Alliance needs to make up for the shortfall to continue its marketing efforts.

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams will be the featured speaker. Williams will discuss Youngstown's major changes that have sparked a turnaround from its days as a lost steel-manufacturing city.

Tickets are available by calling Progress Alliance at (740) 283-2476 at $65 each or a table of eight for $500.

The event will begin at 6 p.m.

The April CIC meeting will begin at 3 p.m. April 20 at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center No. 7017 at county Road 45 and state Route 43.

Looman also said the next meeting of the Columbus to Pittsburgh Highway Corridor committee will be held at 10 a.m. April 16 at Historic Fort Steuben. Representatives from throughout the seven-county highway corridor area will attend.

Looman said he has been working with the Franciscan University of Steubenville's Students in Free Enterprise chapter to make a report from data gathered about businesses and industries along the highway corridor.

(Giannamore can be contacted at pgiannamore@heraldstaronline.com.)