Former school site shouldn’t become gas well field

Former school site shouldn’t become gas well field

EDITOR:

I am writing as a concerned wife, mother and citizen. I spent an evening recently meeting with nearby neighbors and Ken Zuzik, a representative from the gas company that the Warren City Board of Education has hired to drill natural gas wells. They plan to drill three to five of these wells on a small parcel of land, formerly home to Garfield Elementary. Our homes directly border this Garfield property in Northeast Warren.

Mr. Zuzik began what was supposed to be an informational meeting by giving us what he called a fifth grade lesson in geography. He actually asked us to identify the state of Pennsylvania on a map. He then proceeded to explain to us that he wouldn’t need approval from all of the neighbors and their small “postage stamp properties.” Besides offending us on multiple levels, he also explained what we could expect: 24-hour drilling that lasts one week per well, significant noise as they drill 4,600 feet underground, bright lighting structures for night drilling, constant vehicle traffic and dirt/dust being thrown into the air. Then he summed up by stating we all have to suffer through inconveniences to reach the prize.

Well, I am sorry, but this postage stamp property is my home, my family’s security. We, like many neighbors, worked hard and moved here hoping to raise our family in a quiet, safe neighborhood. Now I have to worry about gas leaks, explosions, water contamination, sludge surfacing, smells, noise, and a lower resale value on homes that are already down. Additionally, I have a 2-year-old daughter with asthma. She loves being outside and playing, but I won’t be able to open our windows or let her play in her own backyard when they are drilling.

I am fully aware that there is less than a 1 percent chance of an actual gas explosion, but should any risk of explosion be acceptable?

I am deeply disappointed in both the Warren Board of Education and City Council. They never made an earnest attempt to make any of us aware of their three “public” meetings before they signed their contracts. I only wish that Warren City School District wouldn’t have sold out its tax-paying residents for a quick fix.

MEEGAN DEMAGALL

Warren