State legislators representing Delaware County have not given up their effort to stop the sale of a highly developable property to the city of Columbus.

Tucked away in the Ohio Senate’s version of the biennial budget that was unveiled last week is an amendment to repeal legislation passed last year that allowed the sale of the Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility to move forward.

State Sen. Kris Jordan, R-Ostrander, who introduced the measure, could not be reached for comment.

However, State Rep. Andy Brenner, R-Powell, who supports the amendment, said the sale could still go through if it is closed very soon.

Brenner said state officials recently informed him that the sale is closed to being finalized.

Delaware County commissioners, Concord Township trustees and Buckeye Valley Local School District officials had lobbied for at least a portion of the 99-acre property at the site of the former Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility to be sold to private developers whose projects could add to the three entities’ revenue streams through property or sales taxes.

If the sale is finalized, the site will be used for a water treatment station for the city of Columbus, and none of the entities in Delaware County will benefit financially. The water plan will reportedly be fed by a new reservoir in Delaware County that was built to hold 9 billion gallons of water.

Design and construction will likely take a decade and the plant should be open by 2030. Officials say the site is ideal because of its proximity to the Scioto River.

The property is valued at $9.2 million, according to the Delaware County Auditor’s Office. The city of Columbus currently owns more than 8,100 acres of property in Delaware County, valued at more than $118 million.

Columbus City Council approved the $5.65 million purchase of the former Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility earlier this month.

The Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility closed in May 2014.