(Lisbon) Morning Journal / Stephanie Elverd East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway reads from a prepared statement during a press conference at the village community center on Friday to discuss details of the $22 million settlement with Norfolk Southern.

EAST PALESTINE — Mayor Trent Conaway called this week’s $22 million settlement with Norfolk Southern a “step toward closure and a turning point in the community’s ongoing recovery and revitalization” in a press conference at the East Palestine Park Community Center on Friday and just days away from the two-year anniversary of the rail disaster.

Conaway, the only village official to speak at the planned press conference, said the negotiations with the railroad to settle all claims that arose from the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment and subsequent chemical release began over a year ago. Council accepted and approved the settlement during Monday’s meeting.

All told, Conaway reported the village will receive $60 million from Norfolk Southern — $22 million to be used “to strengthen our future as determined by the village council,” $13.5 million in previous payments made to the village by the railroad and $25 million to complete renovations and upgrades to the city park.

The previous payments include $3 million to replace emergency vehicles and equipment damaged or ruined in responding to the chemical blaze, $5 million to install carbon filters at the village water plant to protect the community’s water supply from derailment-related compounds and $1 million to renovate the exterior of the historic East Palestine train depot.

While the settlement “reaffirms” the park project, it unceremoniously scrapped plans for a regional first responder training center to be built in the town. Conaway called the decision to not move forward on the project “mutual” between the railroad and the village, which together broke ground on the facility in September of 2023 with much fanfare and photos of local politicians, Conaway, fire Chief Keith Drabick and then-Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw shoveling dirt beside a NS locomotive painted to celebrate the occasion. Conaway said it was a difficult choice but the center would have placed “an unattainable burden” on the village.

“We are only a village of 4,700 people,” Conaway said. “Our budget is small. It would have been hard to facilitate the operation as a small village.”

The promised training center was lauded at the groundbreaking as an enormous boon to the East Palestine economy “that would save lives” by offering specific rail response training as well other specialized training like active shooter and school violence scenarios. The plan was to outfit the existing buildings of the 15-acre Jaspar Recycling site purchased by the railroad to house the center into a mock warehouse and classrooms.

Drabick was the driving force behind the training center concept. Conaway said he did not know if Drabick was privy that the training center’s future was on the line during settlement negotiations or if Drabick had learned of its fate prior to Monday’s council meeting. Just last month, Drabick told council and residents that the training center was “still happening.”

Ownership of the 15 acres acquired by Norfolk Southern to build the training center will be transferred to the village under terms of the settlement. Conaway said no decision has been made on what to do with the property but it will be used in a “meaningful purpose that benefits the village.”

As for other specific terms and conditions of the settlement, Conaway said certain clauses of the deal prevent him from speaking about the particular claims the village brought against Norfolk Southern.

“It was mainly just some issues with the streets and some other things like unsettled commitments that we wanted to make sure we had on paper,” Conaway said. “I can’t really go into detail.”

When asked whether he felt the settlement was enough to remedy the damages suffered from the derailment — particularly when it comes to costs associated with potential impacts — Conaway said he was satisfied.

“This settlement mainly was for the village of East Palestine and it will benefit its people,” he said. “As far as the people’s health is concerned, that is a state and federal issue and we will work hand-in-hand with those partners to facilitate whatever we need to do to make sure our people are whole.”

How the village chooses to use the $22 million will be left up to the village council. Conaway said that community feedback and public input will be considered, but in the end, council will have the final say.

“We will definitely try to do something where they (he public) can put questions in, but ultimately council is who they elected to make decisions, but we are hoping to definitely hear how the money should be spent,” he said. “This is a great thing that came to the village and we need to exhaust all efforts to make sure it’s sustainable.”