Plans are moving forward to the East Palestine Park Update Project with some revisions. The park has served as a social hub for the village and is used for community gatherings, sporting events, fireworks and more. Designed to preserve the park’s history and natural beauty, the proposed plan includes essential upgrades and aesthetic improvements and will be completed over several phases. Norfolk Southern and the Pittsburgh-based architecture firm Michael Baker International unveiled tentative plans to completely revamp the park last June at a cost of $25 million.

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Park Plan Updates
The East Palestine City Council sought additional community feedback on the original design and approved a resolution to go ahead with revised plans in December. Ultimately, the design that was approved stayed true to the original plans with a few exceptions. The modifications to the original park plans involve the substitution of the existing pool with a larger low-entry pool and the construction of an expanded pool house. In the new aquatic center, expect to find state-of-the-art amenities such as updated locker rooms, bathrooms, concession facilities, and a community room. Notable alterations to the brick pavilion include the addition of a spacious deck and large retractable glass garage-like doors, which will seamlessly blend the indoor and outdoor areas. A handicap-accessible bathroom, accessible from within the pavilion, and the installation of a sidewalk adds to the pavilion’s transformation, and allow for year-round utilization.
Additional enhancements include the overhaul of existing playground areas, the introduction of a tactical-inspired play space connecting all three, the leveling of the soccer field, and the refurbishment of softball and baseball dugouts accompanied by the installation of new fencing. Other changes include the implementation of two pickleball courts separate from the tennis courts. Initially, the pickleball courts were to be incorporated into the four tennis courts and availability would have been based on whether or not the tennis courts were being used at the time. The dog park is slated for an upgrade, and a new amphitheater will be constructed as part of the overall improvements to the park.

Phased Timing
The phased timeline is designed to minimize disruption in use of the park with eight construction phases proposed. Phase 1 is set to begin with the bidding process in the Spring (end of Q1) and construction set to start in July. The biggest project, the construction of a brand new aquatic center and pool house, is Phase 3. It is set to begin in the third quarter of next year and be completed by the third quarter of 2025. Phase 6, the overhaul of the brick pavilion, is slated to begin late next year and finish up mid-2025.