News

May 5, 2010

Safety of gas drilling talked about in Exeter

B. GARRET ROGAN Times Leader Correspondent

EXETER -- Council President Richard Murawski on Tuesday urged residents of the borough and beyond to educate themselves and be aware of all updates regarding proposed natural gas drilling in Luzerne County.

Murawski’s primary concern is that the drilling will take place too close to the drinking water reserves for many residences within Exeter.

Murawski’s statements drew applause from residents in attendance and served to unite council with members of the group Exeter First, who had been fighting bitterly with council over the development of a Wal-Mart store in the borough.

The council president encouraged the circulation of petitions to demonstrate that area residents are concerned and he pledged to attempt to coordinate similar efforts with the governments of neighboring boroughs.

When Exeter resident and Exeter First member Mary Pat Coleman asked for clarification on what the petitions might entail, Murawski recommended a moratorium on all drilling until such time that the technology is understood by not only the firms that will be using it but also the state and local governments that will authorize it.

In other environmental-related business, council member Daniel DiRoberto proposed a motion, which passed unanimously, authorizing municipal solicitor Peter Moses to explore possible legal options to obtain $900,000 the borough says it is owed by Luzerne County.

Moses explained that in about 2003 or 2004, the Luzerne County commissioners issued a $2.2 million bond to Exeter and West Wyoming to deal with the various flooding issues the municipalities were dealing with.

Soon after, the borough immediately began to take issue with the way the funds were being distributed. Moses said the money “trickled in such small amounts” that the municipality was never able to adequately apply the money to deal with the problem as the borough saw fit.

Council had been steadily communicating with the county about the funding but now says the time has come to pursue legal action.

Council also heard from Laura Dennis, who was representing Exeter residents John and Pat Stascavage in their efforts to see that a zoning ordinance prohibiting commercial activity in their neighborhood is enforced.

The Stascavages say Casterline Trucking Inc. has been illegally operating out of a garage on Jackson Street since 1987.

Dennis took the couple’s concerns to Exeter zoning solicitor Raymond Hassey, who confirmed there was a court order blocking any commercial activity in that M1 residential zone.

Hassey made Zoning Officer Dominic Peppe aware of that on Feb. 23, but as of yet no action has been taken.

Peppe said he could not prove that a business was actually being run at the Jackson Street location, and he encouraged the residents to videotape and document the activities.

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