EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The village of East Palestine wants to overcome the stigma of a derailment town.
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One year ago tomorrow, a Norfolk Southern train went off the tracks, causing a massive fire and smoke plume.
Days later, holes were cut in tankers to release and burn off hazardous chemicals.
Some people never returned home.
East Palestine now has a new campaign to begin again with a vision of a vibrant downtown with bars and restaurants.
City leadership admits it’ll take time, but said over and over, the village is safe.
Joy Mascher isn’t so sure. She owns Flowers and Gifts Straight from the Heart on the main drag.
She says last Mother’s Day was a bust and for this Valentine’s Day, she's only has three orders so far.
Mascher knows people can be last minute but worries about her bottom line.
“We’ve even considered, are we going to have to close up. Yeah, it’s been hard,” Mascher said.
She says starting in a small town is hard enough, and this last year has been exceptionally hard.
“Lowest cash flow that I’ve had in 10 years — just not getting orders. We don’t have walk-ins. A lot of people still don’t come to town,” Mascher said.
One year after the toxic derailment, the village unveiled its rebranding.
“Pride, Tradition and Progress” is the new slogan.
It’s an effort to change its image from what dragged it into the national headlines last Feb. 3.
“Letting the world know, it’s okay to be here, that we’re doing better,” Fire Chief Keith Drabick said.
Village leaders want to make East Palestine better than it was before the derailment.
“We still want to keep our small town feel, but it would be nice to have some more development and stuff come into town,” Mayor Trent Conaway said.
“To me, that stigma is going to take time to wear off, but all we can do is that positive promotion,” Chief Drabick said.
The village created a Community Improvement Corporation, or CIC, to help execute a plan, in part, to revitalize downtown and try to improve business.
“I would expect to see significant progress in a year, I mean maybe one or two new businesses. At least three buildings in town torn down or rehabilitated,” City Manager Chad Edwards said.
The state of Ohio provided more than $3 million in financial support.
Twenty businesses have now been awarded forgivable loans to help pay the bills and payrolls.
Mascher’s isn’t one of them.
“It’s been a long year, I’ll be glad when it’s over,” Mascher said.
Less than 24 hours before the village marks one year since the derailment, some want their voices heard, while others are tired of the news being there.
“We hope you all come back in a year and see us and see the progress we made,” Edwards said.
Mascher still has concerns about what happened and what’s to come.
“I want to be positive, but it’s hard when we’re struggling as much as we are,” Mascher said.
The flower and gift shop owner says while she hasn’t received any money from the state, she applied for a grant through the county a few months ago. She hasn’t heard back.
