EAST PALESTINE Official puts focus on development

By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- City Manager Gary Clark hopes people will want to build on the city's reputation -- literally.
Clark said that although annexation of about 40 acres of city-owned property in Unity Township this year has paved the way for development of Leslie Run Estates, the focus of growth will be on development within the city, not on annexation.
"We don't want to get in a battle trying to force people to annex who don't want to," Clark said. "The better way to grow is to build a good reputation. If you have a good track record and deliver on promises, then people will be standing in line to annex."
Clark said city officials approved annexation of the 40 acres where Leslie Run Estates is planned in order to boost the city's population.
He said engineers are completing design work this week for sewer and waterline extensions to the area and within the development. The sewer and waterline project will be bid after the plans are approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Clark said.
He said the first two homes of Leslie Run Estates should be built in the spring. He said the development has the potential for 52 homes in the $120,000 to $190,000 range.
Other projects
Meanwhile, Clark said a walking path in the area of the city lake and the Leslie Run development are among 2002 projects nearing completion.
He said construction of the trail was nearly completed before harsh winter weather set in. A finishing layer of crushed limestone will be added as soon as weather permits, he said.
City work crews must also wait for warmer weather to finish work on new softball and soccer fields and renovated tennis courts at the city park, he said.
Clark said there are no major projects planned for 2003 that will cause traffic detours or other delays for residents or motorists.
He said a plan by the Ohio Department of Transportation to replace the concrete bridge on Bacon Avenue near the entrance to the city park is in the bidding phase.
ODOT plans to replace the bridge with a more modern version because the high concrete sides make visibility difficult, he said.
Clark said that besides the Leslie Run Estates, there is the potential for construction of about 200 homes in four separate areas of the city, and "that could keep us busy for a few years."