The master plans of park upgrades in East Palestine were discussed Monday with a packed house of people interested in the area's future.

The improvements will be entirely funded by Norfolk Southern, a surprise that some say is a strategic move to gain trust from the community.

According to a press release, Norfolk Southern will be funding more than $25 million in these improvements. This would bring the company's total financial commitment to the village to around $62 million.

"We're sort of accepting with open arms right now," said Trent Conway, Mayor of East Palestine. "So far they've been honest with everything they've done."

"Norfolk Southern came to us a while ago about this," Conway said. "They had been talking to community members and business owners throughout the town and they were asking what the priorities in town were to upgrade. The park was the biggest one, it's our jewel."

Park improvements include playground revamps, new aquatic and community centers, an amphitheater, and parking upgrades. Council officially passed the park's renovation resolution unanimously Monday to get the plans moving.

"This is where you guys celebrate your graduation, this is where you celebrate your Fourth of July, it's a very meaningful place for everybody here," said Peter Quintanilla, National Director of Design Hub to the crowd of dozens of residents Monday. 

Residents in the crowd told 21 News they see Norfolk Southern trying to do good, entrusting the rail company to fund the renovations and even applauding them for their efforts.

Mayor Conway sees the effort from Norfolk Southern and accepts the park upgrade with open arms, but wants to see more help from the company.

"They need to start focusing a little bit more on businesses and going around to local businesses," Conway added. "They have a little bit, but we still have a lot of businesses in town. There's definitely the health issue and we need to get to the bottom of the health issue of what's going on."

A positive meeting with new chapters for the village, as efforts continue to patch the town back to normal.

Other concerns sparked by residents regarding the park's renovations included safety concerns by bringing in more people to the park, improvements to the dog park, a potential roof on the amphitheater, the size of the pool, and parking questions. 

The project developers also plan to hire local, qualified construction teams to get the job done. Renovations could begin in the coming months.