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At its regular meeting on Thursday, the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) will consider providing grants or loans totaling about $1 million for five freight-rail projects.

The commission will vote on a potential $750,000 loan for trackwork at the Marion Industrial Center's intermodal facility. The project calls for building 6,305 feet of track and installing two turnouts and one crossover.

The ORDC also will consider providing a $450,000 grant to the Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railway to build passing sidings in Cecil and Napoleon, and rehabilitate a section of rail that's currently out of service. The short line, which interchanges with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, estimates the project will cost about $740,300.

In addition, the commission will discuss a potential $200,000 grant for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. (W&LE) to help fund rehabilitation work on the regional's Minerva Branch, which connects W&LE's Carrollton Branch to Ohi-Rail's Minerva Yard. The $400,000 project includes tie replacement, a new turnout, and ballast and surfacing work.

The other two items on the agenda are a potential $75,000 loan to Cleveland Commercial Railroad Co. (CCR) to repair a bridge and a $50,000 grant to Malt Products Corp. to expand a rail spur. CCR plans to repair a 120-foot bridge over Mill Creek that accommodates all its traffic interchanged with the W&LE at a Glenwillow yard, while Malt Products plans to build a 600-foot spur north of two existing spurs.