EAST PALESTINE Projects continue around the city

The city will look much different in about two years, the manager said.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- There's a lot of development activity in the city, but you have to know where to look for it.
Three housing developments, a 2.5-mile hiking trail and new softball and soccer fields are projects under construction. City workers are involved in most of them, all at the same time.
"We aren't ready for any ribbon-cuttings yet," city Manager Gary Clark said, "but in about two years the city will be much different."
Leslie Run Estates on the southwest side of the city is on 40 acres the city annexed from Unity Township. City Lake and the surrounding area is on property the city bought in the 1940s, likely for drilling of wells to supply water to the city, Clark said.
Leslie Run Estates has the potential for about 52 homes, with 29 to be built in the first phase. The site is a rolling meadow surrounded by woods.
On the city's northeast side, two other housing developments are in the works. The larger will have about 60 homes, Clark said. The developer of the other is still clearing land and determining how many lots will be available, he said.
Ball fields
The soccer field and two softball fields are up a hill just beyond the Boy Scout cabin at the park. The fields are being built near the new Little League field already in place that was built by the city youth sports organization.
An Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant will fund construction of restrooms near the cabin that can be used by softball, soccer and Little League spectators.
Clark said the soccer field will be ready for play in the fall of 2004, and the softball fields will be finished the following spring.
Leslie Run Estates, City Lake and the city park are all on the southwest side of the city and are connected by a wooded gorge that Leslie Run flows through. Clark said the wooded area is one of the city's best-kept secrets, but the hiking trail through the area will change that.
"It's a beautiful area," Clark said. "There's a 60-foot gorge through there. The trail is going to be along Leslie Run, so there will be hardly any grade. The trail will cross Leslie Run a few times, so we'll have to build some bridges. It's irresistible."
Clark said there will be three parking areas, one at the beginning of the trail on state Route 170, one in the middle, and one at the end, near the community center of the city park.
tullis@vindy.com