Wellsville development seen as a gateway to global trade

By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
WELLSVILLE -- Tracy Drake stood in a barren field under a hot sun set in a clear blue sky.
The surroundings were so tranquil you could hear insects buzzing and the distant hum of traffic. The Ohio River flowed nearby, broad and shimmering in the bright light.
"It's kind of quiet," acknowledged Drake, director of the Columbiana County Port Authority. But don't let that fool you, he advised. This spot is poised for renewal and growth.
For the last several years, the port authority has been developing this 70-acre property into a potential global transportation powerhouse that will harness the river and use the great waterway to connect the county to the world.
The port authority bought the land in 1998 for $751,000, when much of it was occupied by an abandoned brickyard that once made kiln materials for the steel industry.
"It sat there vacant and was a nasty-looking place," Drake said, recalling the state of the land when his agency took it over.
Money invested
To reclaim the site, the port authority has spent, or has earmarked for future spending, about $10 million in port authority, state and federal funds.
Additional projects are envisioned that will entail spending even more money from state and federal sources to further develop the site, dubbed the Columbiana County Port Authority Intermodal Industrial Park.
Improvements already made include installation of water and sewer lines, removal of old buildings and a $3.8 million project to complete a nearby interchange. The road work, finished in December, makes the industrial park more accessible to a four-lane section of state Route 7.
Right now, only two businesses operate at the site.
But plans are in place that will drastically boost the park's capability to handle cargo and, as a result, lure more businesses and jobs, Drake said.
"We're going to see this site become successful very quickly," he predicted.
Upcoming projects
Improvements to be undertaken in coming months include construction of a new dock, which will be followed by installation of equipment designed to swiftly and efficiently pluck cargo from moored river barges.
Estimated cost of those two improvements is about $7 million.
"That's roughly the cost of three miles of new four-lane interstate," Drake said.
The port authority already has lined up $2.6 million of the $7 million through federal and state sources, and more is being sought.
Another undertaking that's set to start any time will entail constructing a nearly 3,700-foot railroad spur through the site. The $1 million to pay for the project will come from the $10 million package originally earmarked to develop the park.
Being able to move vast amounts of cargo from the river and onto highway or rail transport is key to the park's success, Drake said.
Six billion tons of cargo are shipped in the United States annually either by air, water or land, Drake said. That figure is expected to double by 2015.
"Highways aren't going to be able to handle it all," Drake said. That will force transporters to rely increasingly on the nation's waterways, where cargo can be moved less expensively than other modes, Drake said.
"The Ohio River is a natural highway," he observed.
Strategic location
Geography provides another boost. The Wellsville area is the northernmost point on the Ohio River.
Having a modern dock and cargo-handling facility here will entice transporters wanting to ship their cargo as far north as possible.
"It helps them compete," Drake said.
His optimism regarding the park's future is as steady as the Ohio River's current.
"This site is valuable," he said. "There will be more and more development. We happen to be lucky because we're on the river."