EAST PALESTINE Baseball fields planned in park

Proceeds from harvesting timber will fund a surveying plan.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- City officials continue to plan for city park improvements, with surveying for new baseball fields next on the to-do list.
City Manager Gary Clark said revenue from timber harvest in the city lake and Brookdale Avenue areas will cover the cost of surveying -- about $5,000.
Clark said Ed Fisher of Lisbon is harvesting trees from the city properties. The city's portion of the agreed-upon 50-50 split of proceeds should be about $5,000, Clark said.
Fisher recently harvested trees in the city park to make room for new baseball and softball fields and to clear additional space for the annual Fourth of July celebration.
Clark said clearing some trees at the park will put more distance between spectators and the fireworks launch area.
More ball fields: Clark said parents whose children are involved in summer baseball and softball programs in the city and in Unity Township are requesting additional fields.
Clearing trees from the city lake area also will be of benefit because city officials are planning to build a walking trail there.
Clark said he is hopeful a Clean Ohio grant from Ohio Department of Public Works will fund most of the trail's $60,000 estimated construction cost.
About 50 acres of city-owned property on the west side include the seven-acre lake.
Clark said city officials want to develop about 36 acres of city-owned land near the lake and the site of the former city electric plant.
Funding: He said if the city receives a grant to build the trail, $45,000 would come from the grant and $15,000 from the city's capital improvement fund.
The trail would be about a mile long and run along the fringe of the 36 acres the city hopes to sell for residential development, Clark said.
He said about seven acres would be left undeveloped as a conservation zone.
Clark said long-range planning for the trail would include extending it to a total of 21/2 miles to connect to the city park.
He said the manmade lake was created to store the water needed in the cooling process during electric plant operations.
Clark said the city originally purchased the land near the electric plant for a well field, but found a better water source elsewhere.
He said the Brookdale Avenue property was purchased as a potential site for a water tower to service the city's north side residents.
tullis@vindy.com