EAST PALESTINE — In the weeks that followed last year’s train derailment in East Palestine, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw made a promise to the village and surrounding communities. Admittedly, he couldn’t undo the events of Feb. 3, 2023, but he could use the railroad’s resources to help East Palestine recover and see that recovery to the end.

He promised Norfolk Southern was in for the “long haul” — a bit of railroad jargon that can be traced back to 1873.

Last week, that promise was kept when the Norfolk Southern Field Office opened at 428 N. Market St.

“The commitment our CEO made last February is the same commitment we are working toward today,” Norfolk Southern Director of Community Affairs Stacey Mansfield said. “Alan made the commitment that we were going to stay here and make things right and help this community thrive again and I think opening this field office shows that’s what we are doing and we aren’t going anywhere.”

Located at Market and East Clark streets, the field office is the permanent home of the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center — a centralized resource hub for residents seeking support and answers to questions that still linger in the village and other communities impacted by the rail disaster. The seeds of the FAC were planted in the early hours of the derailment.

Norfolk Southern set up its first assistance center at the community room at the city park as evacuated families within the 1-mile zone received financial aid for temporary housing. Two weeks later, assistance operations were moved to the Abundant Life Church in New Waterford. Last May, the center moved into the village and leased space in the former Rebecca’s Banquet Hall.

According to the latest numbers made available by the railroad, 11,799 family visits have taken place at the FAC with more than $20 million in direct financial assistance distributed to area families. Norfolk Southern ended its relocation assistance to residents on Feb. 9, but other derailment-related support is ongoing. The benefits are decided on a case-by-case basis, and claims are still being accepted.

Moving the FAC to the field office was the next logical step, Mansfield said.

“We could have kept our family assistance center in New Waterford or on Rebecca Street the whole time, but we wanted something more permanent, something that shows we are here now and will be for a long, long time,” she said. “The sign outside is a temporary one, but a permanent one will be put up soon. More importantly, this is a sign that we are staying and are still here to help.”

It also made sense to put a field office in the village. Aside from providing outreach through the FAC, the field office is also meant to house community engagement and operational functions. The railroad’s base for business in East Palestine has been operating from rented space inside the Centenary United Methodist Church. Those offices are now relocated permanently to the field office.

The new field office also will give Norfolk Southern space to conduct day-to-day business unrelated to the derailment in the village. With the interior work complete, work on the outside of the building continues. When completed, the building will have a brick facade to better match the aesthetic of the downtown district of East Palestine.

“We could have built a field office anywhere, but it made sense to put it here” Mansfield said. “We could have built a field office in Canton or Akron or Cleveland, but Alan said ‘we are staying here,’ so we dug our heels in, bought property and we made a commitment.”

selverd@mojonews.com