Apr. 28--ATHENS -- The Athens Borough Council heard a report at its meeting Monday night about a proposed Athens Township housing complex that would house workers from gas drilling company Chesapeake Appalachia.

Waverly resident Tom Mullen was at the meeting on behalf of Chesapeake to talk to the borough council about the proposed facility, and to make sure that Athens Borough could handle the flow from the pumping station to the sewer plant from the complex.

"If this project is something that fits with the township, we want to make sure that the borough can handle the flow from pumping station to the sewer plant," Mullen said, adding that plans for the complex estimate using 330,000 gallons of water per month (11,000 per day) and an estimated EDU of 56 per month.

Mullen said he had been asked by Chesapeake to help find a place to build a housing complex for the workers the company anticipates hiring as natural gas exploration expands in the county. The area that has been located is a 15-acre piece of land on Round Top Road in Athens Township, he said.

The complex would mirror other housing complexes Chesapeake has built in other parts of the county, Mullen said, with pre-engineered, modular housing. The complex would be for approximately 180 workers who work seven days a week with 12-hour shifts, he said.

From the pictures, Mullen said the complex looks like a military barracks, and would include a mess hall, a recreation building, a ball field and some green space. There would also be 24-hour security, he said.

"... They want this facility to be a desirable place for the workers to live and get their rest when they're not on the job," Mullen said.

The job the workers are doing is intensive and dangerous, Mullen said, which is why he said Chesapeake wants to be in control of the workers.

"From what I can see it's a very well-run operation," he said. "Chesapeake is a company that wants to do things right and they took a lot of trouble in locating this facility."

Athens Borough Council Vice-President John Dugan asked Mullen what would happen to the complex when the drilling in this area has been completed. Mullen said that Chesapeake plans on purchasing the property and said the company thinks it will be in the area for a minimum of 10 years.

"But they really feel that even if the gas in our area 10 years from now started to deplete, they would probably use it for a training facility for the eastern United States," he said.

Brian Huckabee, of Navarro and Wright Consulting, who is working with Chesapeake on the potential project, said that the property the proposed housing complex is on has had a 50 EDU designation included in the original use agreement since the early 90s. There was some discussion about whether or not the borough would be able to accommodate the EDUs.

Mullen said the Athens Township Planning Commission had already heard an overview of the project, but added that he also wanted to keep the Athens Borough Council knowledgeable of the proposed development. Currently, the project is going to be presented to the Athens Township supervisors to approve conditional use, he said.

Tiffany Peden may be reached at (570) 888-9652; e-mail: reviewvalley@thedailyreview.com.

-----

To see more of The Daily Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, visit http://www.thedailyreview.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Daily Review, Towanda, Pa.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.