East Palestine resident with tree farm hopes railroad makes things right

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — People in East Palestine want to be sure Norfolk Southern will make things right.

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East Palestine Train Derailment

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The cost of the cleanup has more than doubled to over $800 million in the six months since the train derailment.

The feds say they will hold the railroad accountable. Norfolk Southern is also pumping millions of dollars into the community.

“This is kind of an experimental spot with some different trees,” Eric Akenhead said.

Akenhead has planted new life on his Christmas tree farm.

“This has been in our family probably since about 1920,” Akenhead.

The farm is his plan for retirement.

“It’s seven to 10 years before you can start to harvest a Christmas tree,” Akenhead said.

After February’s toxic train derailment, Eric wasn’t worried about the property itself.

It was more about how much more he wanted to invest.

“Do I want to continue to buy equipment and plant trees and potentially build a building or anything out here with the future being uncertain,” Akenhead said.

His concern was any stigma attached to the village after the fiery derailment and chemical burn.

“People coming to town to do business was my concern, and my other concern early on in this was I even going to be in the community. How bad was this going to be,” Akenhead said.

In June, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

"We're going to be there five years from now; we're going to be there ten years from now,” Akenhead said.

To date, the railroad says it’s committed nearly $65 million toward support and investments in East Palestine. Twenty-five million dollars will go for upgrades at the village’s park.

Proposed improvements include a new aquatic center, three modern playgrounds and a new amphitheater. Thousands of dollars in donations have gone to help nonprofits.

The railroad is also planning to build a new regional training center in Ohio for first responders.

"Norfolk Southern is committed to doing what's right each and every day. We're going to do the next right thing,” Shaw said.

Linda Murphy says she wants Shaw to step it up.

“There’s a lot of making it right to be done,” Shaw said.

Murphy owns a home a quarter-mile from Leslie Run Creek that was contaminated by the derailment and still can’t get specific answers about the risk to her well.

Murphy says while they’re still hurting, the railroad is making the village pretty with a new park.

“It’s a shame our lives have been turned upside down by this. We didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask to think about these things,” Murphy said.

Eric is sitting back and watching to see what happens.

“There’s a series of checks and balances, there are organizations in town that are really pushing to keep Norfolk Southern’s feet to the fire, and then there are people helping Norfolk Southern with these investments in the community,” Akenhead.

He’s invested his entire life in this community and his tree farm.

“My family’s blood, sweat and tears are in this property, and my grandfather always said that if he sold enough Christmas trees to pay his property taxes and Christmas gifts, that’s all he ever wanted. And I think that’s all I really want,” Akenhead said.