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Tracy Drake, President & CEO
Columbiana County Port Authority
330-386-9051 cpa@mtn-state.com

EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO. . .The second river dock at the Columbiana County Port Authority's (CCPA) Intermodal Industrial Park in Wellsville, Ohio, is nearing completion. "One river dock is ready now,"said Tracy Drake, CCPA President & CEO. "The second will be ready in the fall of this year, and a third - which will take containers - is planned for sometime in 2001."

Opened in January 2000, the nearly 70 acre Intermodal Industrial Park continues to be a work in progress.

"This is an innovative project that gives businesses operating in Columbiana County and Northeast Ohio a competitive advantage," Drake explained. "Each company at the Industrial Park chooses the most cost efficient method of transportation that comes right to its own loading docks."

Companies at the Industrial Park have the choice of rail, truck, and barge as well. "Remember," Drake added, "transportation can account for up to twenty percent of a company's bottom line."

An active participant in the development of the park, Norfolk & Southern Railroad serves the Industrial Park with dual mainline tracks that connect to the East Coast ­ Chicago run. The park stands just off a four­lane highway, Ohio State Route 7, and overlooks the Ohio River at the river's northernmost point.

One of the six member counties of the Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic Consortium (NEOTEC), Columbiana is the only member on the Ohio River.

"The Ohio River is a working river," Drake pointed out. "Every year the Ohio carries more than 250 million tons of cargo ­ more than the tonnage carried on the Panama Canal."

"The Industrial Park at Wellsville has international access to raw materials and finished goods moving via the Ohio and Mississippi River system to and from the Port of New Orleans," said Drake. "And because of the County's location, you have year­round access to efficient, low cost water transportation."

The site includes facilities for both bulk off­loading and break bulk off­loading (as multi­ton sacks). Looking ahead, Drake sees the capability to handle containers as a key element in the Port Authority's long­term plans for the Industrial park.

The Wellsville project is also part of an Ohio Enterprise Zone ­ offering additional competitive tax advantages to businesses.

A dedicated highway Interchange for the site is being completed on State Route 7. "We have been working closely with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) on this part of the project and expect the Interchange to be completed by the end of 2001," Drake predicted. US Representative James A. Traficant, Jr. (D­17) helped obtain funding for the Interchange through the Federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century (TEA 21).

The four­lane State Route 11 ­ "the Lake to River Highway" ­ carries traffic from Ashtabula and Cleveland to Columbiana County. Nearby are the cities of Pittsburgh, Youngstown, East Liverpool and Steubenville as well as Weirton and Wheeling in West Virginia.

Two companies have started plant construction at the site and a third is expected to begin this fall while other plant projects are on a waiting list. "The new plants will be involved in processing raw materials for the plastics industry, oil reprocessing, and agricultural materials processing," Drake said.

The cost of the private plant projects and the ongoing building of public infrastructure will total approximately $100 million, according to the Port Authority's Master Plan. "This work," Drake explained, "is being done by local construction companies. We expect that over 150 new full­time family wage jobs will be created at the Intermodal Industrial Park by 2001."

"The Ohio Departments of Development and Transportation, plus the Ohio Rail Development Commission and Appalachian Regional Commission have provided financial support for the building of the infrastructure. In fact," Drake added, "NEOTEC was initially funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation."

"The Intermodal Industrial Park at Wellsville meets the requirements of a site within NEOTEC's Foreign­Trade Zone #181," Drake explained. "So ­ looking to the future ­ I can say that the Park may well become a foreign­trade zone site to help local companies connect with the international marketplace."