EAST PALESTINE — As the village’s Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) enters a new phase, it has new leadership.

During the non-profit organization’s meeting Tuesday morning, Chris Page, who has been serving as the group’s president and treasurer, stepped down off the board before the CIC moved onto the annual portion of its meeting, which included the election of officers.

“(Page) has put in a lot of time as a volunteer board member, and East Palestine owes a tremendous amount of gratitude,” explained village manager Antonio Diaz-Guy, who acknowledged the level of his commitment to the group’s success.

Authorized under the Ohio Revised Code, the East Palestine CIC is a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit corporation that serves as the driving force behind revitalization efforts within the village, since its formation in March 2024.

The chief executive officer of Threshold Residential Services as well as a single father, Page has handled a lot of the non-profit’s operations, primarily property and insurance-related transactions that have increased as the CIC has grown.

For several meetings due to the increased workload associated with the CIC operations, board members have discussed either employing a part-time executive director or property manager 15 hours a week.

The current board includes Tom Brittain of Brittain Motors, who serves as vice president; Missy Smith of 1820 Candle Company, secretary; Tim Blythe of Blythe Appraisals; and Barb Herriott, who was elected board president.

Both Blythe and Herriott are current council members.

Letters of interest are being accepted for the vacant CIC seat until 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, via email to m.martin@eastpalestine-oh.gov.

Applicants either must be village residents or own a business within East Palestine to be considered.

The CIC board meets at 10 a.m. on the last Tuesday of each month in the municipal building. All meetings are open to the public.

Discussion among board members turned to approaching Eric Danielson of Threshold, who had been assisting Page with the bookkeeping for the CIC to see if he either would be interested in continuing to assist them either pro-bono (as he had been) or with paid compensation.

In other action, board members were provided with updates from Diaz-Guy and economic development consultant Mike Jacoby, who was in attendance via video technology, on various CIC projects, including the Train Depot, Plaza, Jasar property, a proposed business park as well as real estate holdings at 90 and 94 N. Market St.

The necessary permits for the Train Depot project have been approved and now the CIC awaits receipt of a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant for the project, so it can go out for bid, according to Jacoby.

Diaz-Guy said a 75 percent Community Revitalization Agreement tax abatement has been granted on the depot project.

Interest in the Jasar property has been plentiful especially a 20,000-square-foot building on the property.

Members decided that they preferred to sell the property and to get another interested party, who was more interested in leasing, to instead lease another building on property.

Members, sans Page, approved resolutions:

— Approving the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

— Directing Herriott as president to negotiate the lease agreement for the Train Depot at 58 W. Taggart St.

— Approved spending $3,700 for soil boring testing in the Plaza parking lot.

— Accepted 367 E. Clark St. from the village as a potential Welcome Home rehab property, like the residential building on the Jasar property.

— Authorize Chamberlin Surveying to resurvey the Jasar property to break out the home for use in the county’s Welcome Home program.