NEW WATERFORD, Ohio – The quiet village of New Waterford is off the beaten path, but it’s starting to make some noise.
In August and September, the town staged multiday rock and country concerts, attracting thousands. It was the fifth year for the annual summer music festivals and by far the biggest.
The goal is to introduce New Waterford to people who have never heard of it, and to make it known for something.
It’s a high-profile part of a bigger effort by town leaders to spur growth by attracting industry and new residents.
The driving force is the town’s longtime mayor, M. Shane Patrone, and Jason Gorby, city administrator.
The two have held their positions for 17 years and 16 years, respectively. Patrone is also chief deputy of Columbiana County courts.
New Waterford is a good town that nobody knows about, says Patrone. He would like to see it get even better.
Nestled amid rolling farmland and forest, the town has about 1,200 residents but very little business. There is little reason why anyone would visit, or even pass through on the way to somewhere else.
As a result, there is very little traffic.
The only public buildings are a Dollar General, a gas station and convenience store, an auto repair shop and a couple of churches.
It is manicured and quiet, save for the freight trains that barrel through about every half hour.
Bull Creek runs through the center of town, framing the beautiful Village Park – New Waterford’s crown jewel, according to Patrone.
The population has remained nearly constant for almost a century.
The town’s roughly 500 houses are in very good condition, although more are needed to keep up with demand, Patrone says.
New Waterford also boasts good schools. It’s in the Crestview school district, with the grades 1-12 building just up the road and a new building under construction that will replace it when it opens next year.
The village also has very little crime and above average safety services.
It’s also the type of place where everyone knows everyone.
“Between [Gorby] and I, we probably know 75% of the residents,” Patrone says. “And I mean by facial recognition and knowing their name.”
There hasn’t been much change in population for a long time, but the town never attempted to grow until the past few years.
“We now have a progressive village council and a progressive outlook,” Patrone says.
Many Improvements
The town sees itself as a bedroom community for bustling Columbiana or even the Boardman-Youngstown area. It’s only 5 miles from Firestone Town Centre, the upscale shopping, nightlife and business development in Columbiana.
Residents like living minutes away from those hubs but want to maintain the peaceful aura of the village, Patrone says.
Still, growth is necessary to keep the town prosperous, the mayor adds. And with an infrastructure that is largely new, and lots of available land, New Waterford is poised for it.
In the last five years, the village has replaced all of its water lines and 65% of its sewer lines, with work continuing.
It has also resurfaced most of its streets.
The money for the combined $16 million project came almost entirely from the state, with the village kicking in $1.7 million, Patrone says.
“Our water system has plenty of capacity for growth,” he says.
While the village is doing fine, Patrone says that could change if it doesn’t add to its tax base. Hence, the push for new business, workers and residents.
“We have the same problems that every small town has,” Patrone says. “We need to grow. [The price of] everything keeps going up, and I keep explaining to people that the only way for me to lower your water bill, your sewer bill, to lower the taxes that we need for streets,” is to increase the tax base. “As costs go up, I can’t have the same 1,200 people pay the same [amount].”
In the nearly two decades since Patrone was first elected, village expenses have increased by 30%. “I have to get 30% more [in taxes] from everyone,” he says.
Housing
Help could be just around the corner in the form of a residential subdivision on the town’s eastern edge.
The project is in its preliminary stages, and Patrone cannot reveal much about it. “I don’t want to give away too much because it is in process,” he says.
But the mayor confides that land has been purchased by an area businessman, who plans to construct up to 70 single-family homes.
The developer is working with the Army Corps of Engineers because a creek runs through the property but hopes to start work next year, Patrone says.
The housing market is exploding in neighboring Columbiana – hundreds of homes have been built there in recent years – and Patrone is pleased that some of that development could be coming to his village.
“Columbiana County needs more homes,” he says. “We have a lot of farms, which are great, but the problem is our young people can’t afford to stay here. Houses are starting to price them out.” When Patrone bought his house 10 years ago, it was $125,000. Now it’s worth $300,000.
“We just had two houses on the edge of town put on the market,” he says. “One is for $750,000 and the other one is $500,000. Ten years ago, it would have been $200,000.”
While Patrone says he would be happy if a small plaza was also built in town with multiple storefronts for retail shops, that is not high on his priority list at this time.
Luring Manufacturers
The other source of growth would be luring businesses.
The mayor is targeting small manufacturers with 15 to 20 employees. The village council is also looking into creating an industrial park on a seven-acre tract on the edge of town.
A few small manufacturers already exist in New Waterford, including Firestone Fabricating and Machining, and Bahama Screens and Doors.
Larry Lynn bought Firestone Fabricating this year from Bill Grcevic, who still owns Bahama Screens and Doors.
Firestone is a custom fabricator that handles jobs for extrusion companies
“They send us material, we process it, and then send it back to them,” Lynn says. “There are more extruders in this area than anywhere else in the country.”
Firestone employs seven.
Grcevic’s company, Bahama Screens and Doors, manufactures window screens for houses and industrial buildings.
“We only do commercial applications,” he says. “We work exclusively with dealers and distributors and contractors. We don’t do direct sales to homeowners.”
Among the company’s products are screens designed to withstand hurricanes, which are sold for use in homes in the Southern coastal states.
“Yes, screens that protect windows from hurricanes are made in New Waterford, Ohio,” Grcevic says with a laugh.
Concert Success
While village officials wait for their growth plans to bear fruit, they’ll continue to raise the town’s profile with concerts and other events.
The most recent New Waterford Music Festival took place Sept. 12-13 in the village park, with headliners Hinder and Saliva. Parker Barrow opened for Hinder on the first day, and Paralandra, Dauzat St. Marie and Earshot opened for Saliva on the second.
And on Aug. 8-10, the village presented Amped Up, with headliners Lewis Brice, plus Mark Mackay the first day; Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, with Tantric and Turbo Lovers, the second day; and Morgan Myles, with the Conkle Brothers and the Berrys the third day.
The festivals attracted close to 1,000 people each day. The bands performed on a new permanent stage the village built in 2022.
No city money is used to stage the events. Instead, a nonprofit organization, New Waterford Friends, was formed for that purpose. It relies on donations and revenue from sales of the nominally priced tickets. All profit from the events goes into the city coffers.
The effort started 15 years ago in response to residents who complained there is nothing to do in the town.
First, Patrone and Gorby launched an annual fishing tournament over Fourth of July weekend in the park’s stocked pond. Later, they added fireworks.
“Then, Jason has a crazy idea – why don’t we throw a concert in the park,” says the mayor.
They framed it as a fundraiser for the construction of a playground, which required about $100,000.
The first concert, which was in 2021, featured an AC/DC tribute band from New York and proved a success.
“After that, we kind of said, New Waterford isn’t really known for anything,” Patrone says. “So I told [Gorby] to put us on the map. If we can make these concerts work, let’s do it every year.”
The two decided to kick up their efforts last year, signing their first major national act, Saliva. They brought the band back this year.
Despite being rock concerts, the festivals have a community picnic atmosphere. Many families bring the kids, who head for the playground while the parents watch the show.
“I think that’s the draw, because mom and dad can come out and have a beer, and they can bring the kids,” Patrone says. “It’s kind of a family event, even though there is alcohol for sale. The park is an area where people feel safe to bring their families, and they also see a rock concert at a reasonable price.”
As a method of spreading the word about the village, the music festivals cast a wide net.
They attracted visitors from throughout the Youngstown-Warren area as well as Akron and Pennsylvania.
“For Hinder, I would say half the crowd was from Pennsylvania,” Patrone says. “I was fielding calls and emails and Facebook messages from people who live east of Pittsburgh.”
Pictured at top: New Waterford Village Administrator Jason Gorby and Mayor Shane Patrone.