19-02-2025
Norfolk Southern running out of money for East Palestine Park renovation
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – The $25 million allocated by Norfolk Southern to renovate East Palestine Park will not be enough to do everything that was originally planned.
Now village council is being tasked with deciding what changes should be made. One option is for the village to be given the money and let East Palestine finish the renovations itself.
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The first of a three-phase renovation is underway at East Palestine City Park with the sports courts and main field being worked on. It's 60% done and $3 million over budget.
'We wasted days and days of sunny, sunny, dry weather without doing anything over there,' said Councilman Tim Blythe.
At a special meeting Tuesday night, officials with Norfolk Southern told village council that changes to the park's original plan must be made to meet the $25 million budget.
Some council members were not happy about it.
'We thought that we had all been on the same page with that and it's just sad, I guess,' said Councilwoman Dr. Jessica Rocco.
'We still don't have, to this date, an itemized list of this project up to this point of what the work's been done,' said Councilman Lenny Glaven.
'How often are they on-site? Because as a project manager myself, I'm on my construction jobs every day,' said Councilman John Simon.
The construction manager is Norfolk Southern's Design and Construction Department, which is on-site about once a month.
Among the changes being proposed — an ADA-compliant sidewalk leading to a new brick pavilion.
'From the lower parking lot up, that's cut,' said Mayor Trent Conaway.
Also suggested to be cut are renovations to the upper baseball fields, additional parking spaces, and redoing the driveway and sidewalk to the community center.
The projects staying include a new swimming pool, an amphitheater, a brick pavilion and renovating the community center.
At one point, Conaway suggested what he called the 'nuclear option.'
'Is there an option that we get the funds and we just run it?'
Norfolk Southern has already spent around $3.9 million, meaning the city would get $21.1 million to spend on the park as it pleases.
'I feel very confident in the people we have working for the village that we can redo the baseball fields way under the cost you can,' Conaway said.
The Norfolk Southern officials seemed agreeable to having the village take over renovating the park, saying they could have an answer by tomorrow.
No decisions were made Tuesday. Conaway wants all the options put on the table and another meeting held on March 10 at 6 p.m. to decide what, if anything, should be cut.
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