May 6, 2014 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County Planning Commission granted final approval Monday to plans for the construction of two buildings at EQT’s proposed Halo compressor station in Center Township.

Several neighboring property owners attended the meeting to question EQT officials about the new station, which will be constructed off Pine Road and contain three compressor units.

One adjoining property owner, Gordon Scott, said he could understand the need for the station but was concerned about noise, light and environmental issues surrounding the development.

Seven homes are within a half mile of the site, he said “We just want to have a good neighbor next to us.”

Cordell Pierce of EQT said the largest of the buildings, one about 12,485 square feet in size, will be constructed to house the compressors. The building is designed with acoustic panels to reduce the amount of noise from the equipment, he said.

Center Township does not have a noise ordinance; however, the station will meet noise requirements stipulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is 55 decibels at the property line, Pierce said.

When the company must “blow down” its lines, the noise level will exceed 55 decibels but only for a short time, 15 to 25 minutes, he said.

But a blow down is something typically only done during a shut down; it’s not something “done every day, every week, not even every month,” he said.

In regard to lighting, Pierce said the building will have lighted entrances and other lights facing downward.

The station will not be regularly manned. If work is being done there at night, however, it might be more lighted, he said.

Pierce suggested residents visit other compressor stations the company has to get a better idea of what the Halo station will be like in regard to noise and lighting.

Commission chairman Brent Burnett reminded residents the commission only has jurisdiction regarding development of the buildings.

The commission’s land development ordinance has no regulations regarding noise or lighting, which are usually addressed by township ordinances. Environmental issues are addressed through state permitting.

The development was reviewed by the township.

In a letter to the commission, the township supervisors also expressed concern regarding the “long lasting effects the station will have on the quality of life, health and wellbeing” of the community.

Development of compressor stations will “forever change our landscape and prevent future non-industrial development,” the supervisors wrote.

The company has already begun construction of the access road and expects to have the project completed by November, Pierce said.

In other business, the commission granted final approval for an addition to a building at EQT’s Jefferson compressor station.

The company plans to construct an addition to a building at the site on Denny Hill Road for a new turbine to increase the station capacity. Plans for the station’s expansion were subject of a public hearing in January by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The commission tabled action on two cellular telephone towers that will be constructed by Municipal Communication LLC. One of the towers, the Nineveh tower, will be off Johnson Hill Road in Morris Township and the other, the Wind Ridge tower, off Route 21 in Richhill Township.

Commission members said they believed more information would have to be provided before the commission could grant plan acceptance or preliminary approval. No representative from the tower company attended the meeting.

County planner Jeremy Kelly reported he expects plans to be submitted next month for an ambulatory medical facility proposed to be constructed near the Mt. Morris intersection of Interstate 79, across from the BFS service station; for the new fire house for the Greensboro-Monongahela Township Volunteer Fire Co., which will be built next to the vacant Holy Family Catholic Church; and for an accessory building at the Center Township Fire Hall, which will be used as a truck garage.

Robbie Matesic, executive director of the county Department of Economic Development, gave an update on proposed amendments to the commission’s subdivision and land development ordinance.

One of the changes will address municipal input into commission plan approval. Others will involve provisions that will allow approval for phased construction, require structures like retaining walls to be included on development plans; and require commission review for earth moving activities.

Matesic said she expected a draft of the revisions to be completed soon for the commission’s review. The proposed revisions will be advertised and meetings held with municipal officials and other stakeholders to explain the changes before they are adopted, she said.