E. Palestine OKs borrowing for building

staff report

EAST PALESTINE — The city is moving ahead with its plans to buy a new building to house its administration offices.

Council on Monday authorized city Manager Gary Clark to borrow $53,000 from Huntington Bank to purchase the former McCamon Insurance building on North Market Street.

Officials said they plan to move city hall from the Captain Taggart building to the McCamon building within the next few weeks. The McCamon building will house city offices. However, all city meetings will take place at the city park community center.

Meanwhile, council also agreed to sell the Captain Taggart property to area resident Robert J. Luketic Jr. for $50,000. The former elementary school building at 82 Garfield Ave. has served as city hall for the past 10 years.

Citing increasing utility and maintenance costs, officials said they have been looking to move city operations out of the Captain Taggart building for the past few years. They have said the building is too big for the city’s needs.

They said it costs about $60,000 a year to heat the 35,000-square-foot building and cover the boiler and roof maintenance agreements.

Council also agreed to sell property on West Main Street, known as the former light plant property, to EP Management of East Palestine for $30,000.