New Philadelphia Mayor Joel Day has assembled a task force to help restore a rail connection between New Philadelphia and Dennison.
NEW PHILADELPHIA Mayor Joel Day has assembled a task force to help restore a rail connection between New Philadelphia and Dennison.
Members include Wendy Zucal, executive director of the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum; Scott Robinson, CEO of the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce; Jeannette Wierzbicki, executive director of the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association; Blair Hillyer of the Tuscarawas County Community Improvement Corp.; Scott Reynolds, Tuscarawas County Economic Development director; and Mike Connor, local railroad consultant.
Day has been pushing a plan to utilize a rail line owned by CSX and leased by the R.J. Corman Railroad for freight service and excursion trains, such as the Dennison Depot's Polar Express. The line runs through Dover, New Philadelphia, Midvale and Uhrichsville. To make the project a success, it would require construction of a 1-mile rail line from the Dennison Depot to the CSX tracks in Uhrichsville.
Members of the task force will be putting together a business plan to present to CSX officials, who must give their approval.
"You need to present CSX with a business plan that shows them how they will profit from it," Day said.
The proposal has received pledges of support from the offices of U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville, and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta.
While excursion trains would be important to the plan, increasing freight traffic on the line would be essential.
"Freight has to be the most regular user of the track," Day said. "That's where the most money is generated, by moving freight."
The mayor expressed his enthusiasm for the plan.
"This could translate into millions of dollars in additional tourism revenue for this county if we make this reconnection," he said.
The old Howden Buffalo plant on S. Broadway figures into Day's plans. If the city is unable to find an industrial buyer for the property, he would like to give it another use.
"There's a need in this town and this county for a convention center, a community center, that will hold 600 to 1,000 people easily," he said. "We also have two office buildings down there that have dark fiber running all around them that could be repurposed as data centers or office centers for many businesses."
There is also 127,000 square feet of warehouse space available. "There's just all sorts of things you could do with that much square footage under roof," Day said.
"Imagine this," he continued. "You hop on the train in Dennison and you come north. You can go to Schoenbrunn. You stop there, you get off with your bike, and you bicycle on the bike paths that are at Kent State University at Tuscarawas and all around the east side of town.
"Or you can pull up to New Philadelphia station, where you'll have restaurants, shops, entertainment, stuff to do. And at the same time you'll be able to do business there too. That location is just a stone's throw from the U.S. Route 250 on- and off-ramp, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the boat ramp that will give you access to canoe and kayak on the Tuscarawas River and additional bike paths.
"This Howden location could become a hub of something very special to not only revitalize New Philadelphia but this entire county."
Day will be giving a presentation to members of New Philadelphia City Council on May 31 on the task force's efforts.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.
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