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EAST PALESTINE -- After requesting more information regarding pieces of legislation at the end of last month, East Palestine Village Council approved all four items during Monday's meeting.
Council un-tabled a request by the East Palestine Community Improvement Corporation (EPCIC) to borrow $500,000 from the village and then passed the resolution to loan the EPCIC the requested funds. The zero-interest unsecured loan will be used to further development of the train depot property and the former PNC Bank lot that the EPCIC acquired last year.
Council expressed concerns about the EOCIC ability to repay the loan when village manager Antonio Diaz-Guy asked council to pass a resolution last month. The EPCIC has since provided council with a more detailed plan that explains exactly how the funds will be used and repaid. Council approved the resolution unanimously.
The other legislation items were related to establishing a building department within the village. One established the department, the other requested certification of the village to enforce building codes and the other was to enter into an agreement with Elevate Business Solutions as the village's "primary contractor for that department" and essentially enable the village to expedite the way commercial buildings could be built or modified.
Council heard from Julie Needs and Jim Murray from Elevate Building Solutions (EBS) before pulling the trigger on the proposal presented last month by Diaz-Guy that he said was "an extremely attractive way to bring development to the community" as a village department could do in "two weeks what takes the state up to three to six months."
Under the agreement, the village will pay Elevate $25,000 to circumvent that wait by issuing the permits itself and then allow Elevate to keep 95% the surplus of permitting fees while the village would get 5%. Commercial building owners will no longer be able to apply for those permits on their own through the state.
Ultimately, council decided the pros outweighed the cons as permits will be issued faster and Elevate will be able to walk business owners through the process and provide answers to questions the state does not.
The new department will speed up both the $25 million park project (funded by Norfolk Southern) and construction of the $16 million new safety complex (funded by a USDA grant).
Diaz-Guy also reported to council that Elite Pharmacy will open soon in the village. The local drugstore chain is set to open its new location in East Palestine on Oct. 1 at 49 E. Taggart St., which was formerly an Ianazone's Pizza. Elite Pharmacy's expansion in the village comes after the closing of the town's last major pharmacy chain, Rite-Aid, in 2024, which created a healthcare gap for residents.
Diaz-Guy called it "a huge win" for the village and said the pharmacy along with several pop-up shops in the village are signs of better things to come.
"This a beginning sign of a resurging economy," Diaz-Giy said. 'We aren't going to count our chickens before they hatch but we're happy."
Also at the meeting, Council:
-- Received an update to the improvement to Glenview Cemetery and gave Diaz-Guy permission to sign a contract for $50,170 in repairs to the mausoleum.
-- Reported that all applications and proposals for the open marketing role have been received. The railroad gave the village $500,000 to hire an economic development firm to help re-brand the village and boost economic development in the wake of the 2023 train derailment. The village hired Canton-based advertising firm WRL but chose to explore other options for future marketing. A decision will be made in the near future.
-- Agreed to accept the opioid settlement plan with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost signed onto the agreement in June 2025, which aims to resolve thousands of lawsuits against the drugmaker over its role in the opioid crisis.
-- Heard that the park project continues to progress as evacuation and plumbing is under way for the new aquatic center.
-- Entered into an executive session to consider and discuss "purchase of properties for public purpose, the sale of properties or sale of other disposition of unneeded, obsolete properties."
selverd@mojonews.com