EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Norfolk Southern will open a new Family Assistance Center in East Palestine today (May 30), after signing a two-year lease on the space for residents to report losses related to the Feb. 3 derailment in the community.
Also, the railroad has announced plans to donate its station in East Palestine to the community.
The new site, at 191 East Rebecca Street, is scheduled to open at noon today. It will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It replaces a facility which had been operating at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church in New Waterford, Ohio.
More information is available here.
WKYC-TV reports the railroad will restore the exterior of the station and turn its interior into “a blank space” that the community can develop “according to its own vision,” while providing a $100,000 grant toward that development.
“Norfolk Southern understands the historical significance this train depot represents to the community,” Norfolk Southern Director of Corporate Giving Kristin Wong said, according to WKYC. “As I’ve talked with those who live in East Palestine, I heard early on that they wanted to own and determine the future of this central building. Today, we’re partnering together to make that happen. We’re committed to making things right in East Palestine, and it is a privilege to donate this train depot to the community, and to watch what it will become next.”
Renovations are expected to begin later this year and be completed in summer 2024.
