HANNIBAL — The Monroe County Port Authority secured more than $15,000 in grant funding for an upcoming project that will aid in the design and engineering of a side track for the railroad located at the Powhatan No. 7 property in Hannibal.

Jason Hamman, economic development consultant with Hamman Consulting and economic development representative for the county, said Ohio Southeast Economic Development has approved a special request sites grant for the Railroad Design at Powhatan No. 7 project. The former coal mining complex lies north of the Long Ridge Energy Terminal’s natural gas power plant, formerly the Ormet Aluminum plant.

“This grant program provides some dollars toward due diligence studies or engineering and design work for industrial development sites. We submitted a proposal to have the design and engineering for a new railroad track to be added to that property,” he said.

Hamman said the grant will pay 50 percent of the cost of the work needed to complete the project. The project’s total cost is $31,730. The grant will cover $15,865, while the port authority will cover the remaining cost.

The new siding track for the railroad that runs through the property will allow trains to have a pull-off area and railroad car storage site.

“The siding track will have a switch that comes off from the side and we’d have a siding track which runs parallel to the existing track and then at the other end of the property there will be another switch so a train can pull off and park,” he said.

Hamman said the new siding will be beneficial for a tenant or future owner of the property that would have the need for railroad service.

“It can also be something where we work with an existing company to provide railroad car storage,” he said.

The project is set to get underway in the next couple of months, Hamman said.

“We approved paying the 50 percent and we’ve secured the 50 percent from the grant so whenever the consultant company can begin work, we’re good to go,” he said.