PAGE 10 THE DALLAS POST Sunday, April 18, 2010
LAKE TWP. LEHMAN TWP. SUPERVISORS LIFESMARTS TEAM LAUDED
SUPERVISORS TE rr e— SL a
Drilling
concerns
aired at
meeting
Residents worried about
water-testing, road use and
industry procedures.
By EILEEN GODIN
Correspondent
Residents attending the April
14 supervisor’s meeting voiced
concerns about gas drilling set to
begin this summer. Those wor-
ries included questions about
procedures, well-water testing,
and road maintenance.
In July, a Marcellus Shale nat-
ural gas drilling operation with
EnCana Oil and Gas USA of Den-
ver, Colo. will come to the town-
ship. The site of the operation is
owned by supervisor Amy Salan-
sky.
Salansky said the farm was pre-
viously owned by an older neigh-
bor, who willed the gas and min-
eral rights to a nephew and gave
Salansky and her husband the
“first right to buy” the land.
“The agreement was already
made when we purchased the
farm,” Salansky said.
Residents within a mile radius
of the site have received letters
from EnCana stating a voluntari-
ly assessment of well water will
be scheduled immediately. Salan-
sky said the letter states a third-
party environmental firm, Ret-
tew, of Lancaster, will collect wa-
ter samples. Samples will be sent
to a state-certified lab at no cost
to residents.
The letter stated if residents
want to use a lab of their choice to
test water, the sample will be
split by Rettew and sent to a sec-
ond lab. Residents would pay the
cost.
With 75 percent of the town-
ship’s roads being dirt, residents
questioned supervisors on road
routes EnCana may use and who
would be responsible for mainte-
nance and repairs.
Chairman of supervisors Lon-
nie Piatt said the township roads
are not bonded yet, but the town-
ship has an agreement with En-
Cana. He said it is possible that
EnCana will hire a contractor for
road maintenance.
It is undecided which routes
will be used. Salansky said they
have not sat down with EnCana
officials yet to determine which
incoming and exiting routes will
be used.
Barney Dobinick, the town-
ship’s emergency management
coordinator, said it is possible
that the trucks will run on a dif-
ferent schedule then school bus-
es, so the two are not navigating
streets at the same time.
Dobinick said EnCana has pro-
vided him with a list of chemicals
to be used on-site and a list of
their safety guidelines. He also
has the Department of Environ-
mental Protections regulations
for gas drilling.
In other news, the annual
spring cleanup will be held May 8
from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the mu-
nicipal building.
Residents must provide proof
of residency and pay $15 per pick-
up truckload, $20 for large pick-
ups and $6 per car load. An addi-
tional $6 fee will be applied for
the following items: washers,
overstuffed
chairs, couches, dressers, televi-
sion sets, hot water heaters, boil-
ers, furnaces, stoves and large ap-
dryers, carpets,
pliances.
The following items will not be
accepted: tires, hazardous
wastes, chemicals, brush, tree
stumps, cinder blocks, animal
waste, shingles, sheet rock or
other building materials, garbage
and freezers, refrigerators con-
taining Freon and air condition-
ers.
DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER
The Lehman Township board of supervisors approved an ordinance on April 13 allowing EnCana
Oil and Gas Inc. to allow the company to begin natural gas drilling operations near Peaceful
Valley Road. From left to right are Attorney M. John Haley, Jon Rogers, David Sutton, Ray Iwa-
nowski and Douglas Ide.
Drilling plans move forward
By RALPH NARDONE
Correspondent
Township residents will get a
new neighbor when EnCana Oil
and Gas Inc. begins drilling for
natural gas in late summer.
Township officials voted
unanimously on April 13 to ap-
prove an ordinance allowing
the company to start Marcellus
Shale gas drilling operations
near Peaceful Valley Road.
Board of supervisors Vice
Chairman Ray Iwanowski
made the motion to enact the
ordinance and Chairman David
Sutton and supervisor Douglas
Ide voted yes.
Township zoning board solic-
itor Jack Haley addressed a
well-mannered crowd of about
70 people before the vote, es-
sentially telling them the town-
ship was in no position to halt
the company’s plans.
Some residents who ex-
pressed opposition wanted the
supervisors to “send a mess-
age” by not enacting the ordi-
nance, Haley said. That would
have amounted to “civil disobe-
dience,” he said.
According to Haley, all au-
thority to halt drilling oper-
ations in any municipality in
Pennsylvania lies in the hands
of state agencies, not local gov-
ernments. The township’s rules
are “superseded” by the state
Oil and Gas Act, he said.
The state Supreme Court al-
ready reviewed two similar
cases, he added, and decided
the only authority Lehman
Township has applies to what
roads EnCana can use.
Haley also addressed con-
cerns raised that two of the su-
pervisors, Ide and Sutton, have
personal ties to gas drilling. Ide
leased some of his own land for
gas drilling, and Sutton con-
sults property owners concern-
ing drilling, Haley said.
Both members could only
second the motion or vote yes
but could not participate in any
questions about the vote or
make the original motion. The
only supervisor who could
make the motion was Iwanow-
ski.
The state Ethics Commis-
sion checked into the potential
conflict of interest involving the
two supervisors.
Iwanowski outlined six con-
ditions to the motion: that En-
Cana put up $13,540 to main-
tain Firehouse Road through
the total time it is used; EnCana
put up $32,192 to maintain
Peaceful Valley Road similarly;
all traffic related to the drilling
traverse on Firehouse Road to-
ward state Route
ate 118; no traffic
will go on Old Route 115 in the
township (near the school); En-
Cana provide adequate insur-
ance coverage for the township,
and that a legally binding agree-
ment be signed by EnCana
holding it to its commitment.
No representatives from En-
Cana attended the meeting.
About 25 peaceful protesters
were there greeting meeting at-
tendees at the door with anti-
drilling literature. Leanne Ma-
zurick, 30, of Dallas Township,
stressed the industry is essen-
tially “unregulated.” She said
residents in other communities
of northeastern Pennsylvania
are having trouble with water
contamination where there is
“We want safeguards put in
place,” she said.
Karen Belli, of Dallas Town-
ship, and member of the Gas
Drilling Awareness Coalition,
emphasized a long list of ills
that arise from local gas drill-
ing. She pointed out that home-
owners in one local community
have to use “water buffaloes”
for their water supply because
of contamination.
Belli also questioned how su-
pervisors Ide and Sutton could
be involved in the vote knowing
their connections to the indus-
try.
Not all in attendance were op-
posed. Barry Edwards, of Leh-
man Township, said the con-
cerns about water are just a “ha-
rangue.” He added that in Sus-
quehanna County the drilling
companies have made the roads
Iwanowski said fixed-income 1
elderly residents and farmers
facing large debt are finding the
gas drilling a financial “god-
send.”
He said the ordinance allows
EnCana to drill only vertically.
If the company wishes to ex-
pand horizontally under-
ground, that will require anoth-
er vote from the township.
KINGSTON TWP. SUPERVISORS
Board seeks OK on police manual
By REBECCA BRIA |
rbria@timesleader.com
The board of supervisors vot-
ed April 14 to have the chief of
police sign off on the police de-
partment’s accreditation
manual.
Police Sgt. Michael Moravec
explained the police depart-
ment is in the process of trying
to become accredited by the
state. However, sign-off from
the chief is needed on an ac-
creditation manual to proceed.
Moravec is filling in as chief
of police while Chief James Ba-
lavage is out on medical leave.
Balavage is expected to return
in May, Moravec said.
In addition, the accreditation
manager from the department,
Officer Michael Huntzinger, is
also out on medical leave.
Moravec explained the ac-
creditation manual contains
130 policies and procedures. It
must be approved by the ac-
creditation board, followed by a
mock-up, recommendations by
the board, and an on-site re-
view.
Supervisor Jeffrey Box said
the supervisors have supported
the police department becom-
ing accredited for the past six
years. Box said it is frustrating
that it still has not been com-
pleted.
The supervisors voted to con-
tact Balavage and have him sign
the accreditation manual be-
fore his return.
Land preservation project
The supervisors approved
writing a letter on behalf of the
township in support of a land
preservation project.
Rick Koval, of the North
Branch Land Trust, asked the
supervisors to send a letter of
support for the project. Koval
said the land trust is applying
for a grant from the Pennsylva-
nia Department of Conserva-
tion and Natural Resources. If
the trust is awarded the fund-
ing, it will be used to purchase
development rights for 280
acres of forest land owned by
the Lands at Hillside Farms.
Koval said each acre is ap-
praised at about $4,000 and the
state will award 50 percent of
the total value of the land as a
conservation easement value.
Also, the land will be guaran-
teed to be protected from being
developed forever, he said.
The forest land is located in
both Kingston and Jackson
townships, Koval said.
Wind energy facilities
ordinance
Approval was granted to draft
an ordinance on the operation
of wind energy facilities based
on an ordinance adopted by Ha-
nover Township.
Chairman of supervisors
James Reino said the ordinance
is meant for larger windmills
and not residential ones. Reino
said the ordinance will not dis-
allow windmills, but is a safety
measure.
Road name changed
Church Road, located off of
Route 309, was approved to be
renamed to West Church Road
through the E-911 addressing
project. Another Church Road
exists in the township in the
Carverton Heights area.
FEMA flood map
The new Federal Emergency
Management Agency flood-
plain map for the township was
approved. The solicitor will re-
vie the map and it will be avail-
able at the municipal building
for public review.
DAMA request approved
The supervisors approved
the request of Dallas Area Mu-
nicipal Authority to be a con-
duit issuer on behalf of Miser-
icordia University’s endeavors
to refinance bonds and notes.
The request does not obli-
gate the township in any way
not does it make the township
liable for any part of the pay-
ment.
Reino said DAMA needed ap-
proval from the township be-
cause it is one of the townships
that founded DAMA.
Zoning hearing board term
altered
A new ordinance was ap-
proved to change the term of of-
fice for members of the zoning
hearing board from three years
to five years. The measure is in
accordance with a section of the
Pennsylvania Municipalities
Planning Code.
Donation approved
A budgeted donation of
$1,000 was approved for the
Dallas High School 2010 gradu-
ation lock-in.
The Dallas High School LifeSmarts team received citations
from Rep. Karen Boback and Senator Lisa Baker at a recent Dal-
las School Board meeting. LifeSmarts tests students’ knowl-
edge in five areas: consumer rights and responsibilities, health
and safety, personal finance, technology and the environment.
The Dallas team was one of nine teams to qualify for state com-
petition in Harrisburg. From left, first row, are Kevin West, coach;
Katelyn Reinert, team captain; Monica Esopi, and Lois Redmond,
co-coach. Second row, Pierce Donovan, Sen. Baker, Kevin Hunter,
Boback and Tim Reinert.
ROTARY, FRIENDLY’S
COMBINE FORCES
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: aml a
The Dallas Rotary Club and Friendly’s in Dallas joined forces
"recently to host a tasty fundraising event. More'than $500 was
raised through a donation from the store ‘and additional dona-
tions from their customers. The funds will benefit the annual
Dallas Rotary Club Book Scholarship Program which awards six
$500 scholarships to area high school seniors from Dallas,
Lake-Lehman and Northwest School Districts who are heading
off to college in the fall. The awards dinner will take place in May.
Seated is Randy Loyd. From left, standing, are Rotarians Ann
Marie Konek, Todd Buckley, John Rhoads and Paul Saxon.
TWO BMT STUDENTS
EARN ROTC AWARDS
f
Christopher Box, left, of Shavertown, and Brian Haughwout, of )
Trucksville, both students at the University of Pittsburgh, re-
cently won awards during Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officer Train-
ing Corps) Parents’ Day Awards Ceremony. Cadet Box, a sopho-
more, is majoring in mechanical engineering and won the Pitts-
burgh Post Society of American Military Engineers ROTC Award.
It is given annually to an outstanding freshman and sophomore
cadet majoring in engineering or science. Cadet Haughwout, a
freshman mathematics student, won the American Veterans
Award awarded to a freshman cadet found to possess a positive
attitude towards Air Force ROTC, a neat personal appearance,
outstanding personal attributes and demonstrating officer po-
tential.