Commissioners, resident question DEP project
WAYNESBURG – Plans by the state Department of Environmental Protection to do some work at the site of the former Shannopin Mine site got the attention of commissioners and a county resident with a vested interest in the site Thursday. Commissioners read a notice from DEP stating that several abandoned mine reclamation and well plugging projects in Dunkard, Monongahela and Perry Townships will soon be advertised for bid.
The project consists of backfilling the mine’s No. 1 air shaft, re-grading the treatment plant area, re-grading the prep plant area, cleaning up the supply yard area, demolition of the remaining bridges at the site, removal of rails, and construction of a permanent mine portal seal, according to the notice on Thursday’s agenda.
Charles “Buck” Rush, a Franklin Township resident and shareholder in Diversified Energy Ventures Inc., asked commissioners Thursday why this announcement was not made sooner, as he obtained a copy of a letter sent to State Rep. H. William DeWeese from DEP Secretary David Hess about the project dated Aug. 7.
Rush said he spoke with officials at the office of State Sen. J. Barry Stout, who said they were not aware of any letter and said if the commissioners had known about this earlier, they could have brought the information forth at their last meeting Aug. 15.
Commissioner Farley Toothman said the commissioners received the letter after the last meeting and, as has been the custom, the notice was read at the next public meeting, which have taken place this week. He said DEP notices are sent to a variety of different county offices, but not all of them for all projects. He said while DeWeese received this particular notice, no other office in the county was made aware of the proposed project until some time later.
Rush said he was pleased with the information when he received it, but added that he was suspicious as to why it took so long for the news to be released.
“If a multi-million dollar project was coming to the district, you would think people would march down the street and tell everybody,” he said.
Diversified Energy purchased the Shannopin property in 1993 from bankruptcy court in an attempt to reopen the mine. In July, Diversified Energy president Kenneth Eller filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court, a move that blocked a planned sheriff’s sale of 29 mine parcels from being sold.
Earlier this year, the county commissioners began a formal exploration into a possible purchase of the more than 860 acres that housed Shannopin, but commissioners have made little comment on what, if any, plans they have for the site.
Rush said the “many maneuvers” to get the property in the hands of the county need to stop so the focus can return to Diversified Energy.
“I think the maneuver should be to help Diversified Energy reorganize and get something worthwhile down there rather than criticize them,” he said. “The company has not had control of their assets for eight years and I think that during their reorganization they will have to pay all debts. If that’s the concern, then that’s where you should be putting your energy.”
Meanwhile, commissioners also took the following action:
– Approved a $60,000 advance to Greene ARC as part of their 2002-03 contract. Toothman abstained from the vote, noting his seat on the ARC board.
– Approved an agreement with Widmer Engineering to inspect and inventory all of the Greene County bridges for 2003, at a cost of $160,000.
– Approved a contract with the state Department of Community and Economic Development for the Community Development Block Grant program. The funds, totaling approximately $262,000, will be used for four projects in the 2002 investment year.
– Adopted a resolution marking September 2002 as Drug and Alcohol National Recovery Month.