EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Nestled south of state Route 14, East Palestine has a big sign letting travelers know where to turn to go into the village.
“East Palestine has always been a great place to live and be, but for more than 50 years there has been one thing that everybody says – for the town to succeed, we must get to Route 14 with water and sewer,” said Antonio Diaz-Guy, village manager. “And we’re doing it. We’re finally doing it. There’s no question – it’s happening, and that’s a huge deal.”
East Palestine’s plans to construct a new industrial business park northeast of downtown received a $2.4 million federal grant this week from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
Diaz-Guy said Thursday it is the first of $10 million in pledged federal funding toward the industrial business park. This first amount will go toward engineering for the expansion of the utilities to the site.
The industrial park project is being spurred by the East Palestine Community Improvement Corp., which has a one-year option to buy an 84-acre site from the owner. Testing of the property has determined it to be suitable for building a business park.
The agricultural property does not have access to village water and sewer utilities, but East Palestine recently received a response from five engineering firms when it requested qualifications of companies interested in being hired to complete the designs for the project. Negotiations with the top qualified engineering firm began Thursday.
Diaz-Guy said the $2.4 million should be enough to hire the engineer for the project, which will include a water tower, sanitary line extensions, water line extensions, booster pumps and upgrades to the water treatment plant. He said the water treatment plant upgrades have been needed for 20 years.
“We’re going to be able to make sure that the [local] taxpayers don’t have to bear the burden of all that and it’s going to benefit the entire town,” Diaz-Guy said. “The utility infrastructure in town is going to get better but, ultimately, this is the federal government paying for this investment.”
The federal funds came from the Economic Development Administration’s fiscal year 2025 Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Program, which aids communities in revitalizing and upgrading their physical infrastructure to attract new industries and strengthen local economies. It was one of four projects approved for a combined $10.9 million.
“The Economic Development Administration supports workforce development and infrastructure improvement projects designed to revitalize regional industries and fuel business expansion,” said Ben Page, deputy assistant secretary and chief operating officer.
Diaz-Guy said the East Palestine project would create between 400,000 and 800,000 square feet of new space for interested businesses.
At least two new businesses are moving into downtown East Palestine, according to Diaz-Guy. This week, Company Store Antiques is relocating from Negley. And he said another business is leasing the vacant storefront at 94 Market St. this month.