MARTINS FERRY — Two Purple City businesses may be expanding in the future — one dealing with peopleás health and the other with asphalt.

National Lime and Stone is planning to expand its asphalt-making business off First Street, said Mayor Robert Krajnyak. The plans had been briefly mentioned during two past Martins Ferry City Council meetings by Councilman Rick Rodgers, but not talked about in any detail.

Krajnyak said the companyás plans have been approved by the Ohio EPA, noting it âhas all been taken care of.ã Rodgers noted the cityás safety committee plans to meet again regarding the companyás plans.

In an email regarding the planned plant provided by Councilman Ben Neiman, Ohio EPA Geologist Steven Saines summarized the companyás plans to build âa new asphalt plant within the source water protection area of the Martins Ferry Well Field.ã

The email notes the âOhio EPA does not have regulatory authority to grant or deny permission to this proposed activity by National Lime and Stoneã and therefore does not oppose the location of the plant in the cityás source water protection area.

However, the city can use its Source Water Protection Ordinance âto authorize best management practices by National Lime and Stone, while prohibiting environmentally unsafe storage or business activities within the protection area,ã he wrote. It was also noted that officials with the company planned to do just that.

In a followup email to city officials, Saines wrote, âAs I told you on the phone … Ohio EPA does not oppose this project. However, we think any industrial activity near the well field does pose some risk to your source water. If the city is in favor of this project, we recommend you proceed with caution and follow your Source Water Protection ordinance. It does a good job of limiting unsafe storage and business activities within your protection area. Thanks for being a good steward of your water resources. Based on what you have told me, National Lime and Stone has also exercised good caution environmental management practices as they operate in your well field.ã

Neiman on Monday said, however, he still is concerned about chemicals from the asphalt possibly leaking into the ground during the asphalt making process.

âMy only concern is the drinking water … I think that should be a concern. I think we should have a thorough study and let people know whatás going on,ã Neiman said. âI would feel better with the citizens knowing something about it.ã

Dan Mapes, director of Administrative Services for National Lime and Stone, based in Findlay, Ohio, said this morning that his company did research, via a third party consultant, regarding their property when it purchased it from RG Steel. They discovered the groundwater flows away from the well field area.

âThat means if anything … would escape we predicted it will flow away from the wells,ã Mapes said.

He noted the facility will have a double containment unit for its liquid asphalt. They also plan to use a natural as burner instead of having large tanks of diesel fuel on site for the asphalt-making process.

The reason the company wants to build the plant beside its limestone sales yard is so that it does not have to drive the rocks down to its existing facility on First Street, the Lash Paving plant. Lash is a subsidiary of National Lime. The Lash plant had a spill last year when a valve on a tank broke. The spill, Mapes said, was contained to the site and the company was not fined by the EPA.

âThe liquid doesnát flow far — as it cools it hardens,ã he said.

Lash said the reason the Ohio EPA doesnát need to approve the plan is because the plant will be outside what it considers the âcritical area,ã or 300 feet from the well field.

âIf we thought there was any concern at all with the well deal, we would not do this. We would be held responsible for these wells if something got in there,ã Mapes said.

âWe pride ourselves on being compliant with rules and regulations,ã he said, adding to the company has been in business since 1903.

Meanwhile, regarding another Martins Ferry business, Krajnyak said he recently met with officials with Alecto Healthcare Services, which is the company that recently purchased East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry and Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling.

Krajnyak said Alectoás CEO, Lex Reddy, updated him and Service Director Chris Cleary on the companyás plans for EORH. In addition to plans to start a heart catherization lab and re-opening a birth center, the company also aims to hire more employees to support these endeavors.

âIt was a very positive meeting. … They plan to hire 40 to 50 nurses to have a full staff. They also plan to hire more doctors because they are opening up the birth center again,ã Krajnyak said.

âHe said he guaranteed there would be no layoffs and no cuts to benefits or salaries as long as it was under his control,ã he noted.

Krajnyak believes the hospitalás purchase by the company will have a positive impact on the city. He noted the cityás plan to install a dedicated waterline to the hospital also was well received by Alecto, but the city must seek outside funding sources to help make the project happen.

âReddy wants that to happen,ã he added of the main line.