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EAST PALESTINE — Business owners who have been adversely affected by February’s train derailment are encouraged by Norfolk Southern to attend an Open House for Businesses event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the East Palestine Memorial Public Library Community Room.
According to Norfolk Southern, the event is to make all local business owners in East Palestine or Western Pennsylvania who have been impacted by the derailment aware of support services available. NS Family Assistance Center staff will be available to answer any questions on how to seek business-loss reimbursement and to help business owners complete the process.
If business owners are currently represented by counsel, Norfolk Southern asks that the attorney reach out to NS Family Assistance Center at (800) 230-7094 before attending the open house.
In recent weeks, Norfolk Southern has been turning its attention to the local businesses which have suffered in the wake of the rail disaster.
On the sixth-month anniversary, NS announced a grant of $500,000 to support economic development in East Palestine. The railroad stated that “this will fund the hiring of an independent, private-sector economic development consultant as part of Norfolk Southern’s long-term commitment to the community” and that the consultant will be hired by and work for the village.
According to Norfolk Southern the grant and newly-created consultant along with village leaders will provide opportunities for “the community to develop and implement an economic development strategy.”
Exact details of that grant are expected to be released soon.
In other business crisis relief news, Gov. Mike DeWine announced at the beginning of the month that village businesses wishing to request assistance from the East Palestine Emergency Support Program can now do so online, the Ohio Department of Development. Applications can be accessed at development.ohio.gov/eastpalestine. Businesses can now view, complete, and save their application with official submission of applications set to begin at 10 a.m. on Aug. 24. Funding through the program, which will be distributed on a first-come-first- served basis.
The program will provide zero-interest, forgivable loans to businesses to assist with ongoing expenses and recovery efforts associated with the derailment. To be eligible for the program, for-profit and nonprofit businesses must be located within a two-mile radius of East Palestine in Ohio and operational on or prior to Dec. 1, 2022. Loans ranging from $10,000 to $1 million with up to a 15-year term with no principal due for up to the first two years of the loan term will be eligible for forgiveness if used for payroll, employee benefits, rent or mortgage payments, utility expenses, worker protection related to the train derailment (protective gear, remediation measures, improvement of indoor air quality/upgrades to HVAC systems) and inventory replacement expenses associated with disaster.
(selverd@mojonews.com)
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