Residents upset about blasting
MASONTOWN – As more and more residents continue to come forward with claims of damage caused by a mine company blasting for coal, the borough council gave some specific instructions at their meeting Tuesday for area residents seeking assistance. Over the summer, Amerikohl Mining Inc. has mined in German Township, which borders the borough, and as the mining has continued, dozens of residents have come forward with complaints and reports of damage from the mining practices.
And many of the residents along with the borough have been unsatisfied with the response from the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding the claims.
The DEP is responsible for issuing the company’s mining permit.
Tuesday, Councilman Tom Loukota gave explicit instructions for area residents wishing to have their house or property examined for possible blasting damage.
Loukota told residents to send a two-registered letters documenting as much of the damage, including the time it appeared, the type and any attempt to reconcile the problem to Joseph Gressinger at the Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining, 334 Bloomfield St., Richmond Professional Building, Suite 104 Johnstown, PA, 15904 and Fred Ulishney Jr. at the state DEP Bureau of District Mining Operations, Armbrust Professional Building, R.R. 2 Box 630C, Greensburg, PA 15601-8739.
“The more people we get involved the better off we will be with this,” Loukota said.
The council also conducted the following business:
– Approved the annual Octoberfest for Saturday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
– Discussed rampant speeding and reports of numerous stray animals in the borough.
– Scheduled the borough Halloween parade for Saturday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m.
– Instructed borough engineer Russ Mechling to purchase a $5,793 raw water meter for the town’s water plant to bring the station into compliance with DEP regulations.
– Informed area residents that there is a vacancy for the borough’s judge of elections for district three.
Anyone wishing to apply for the position should call 724-430-1289.
– Hired an independent contractor to clean the borough office.