Land could create unexpected windfall for Hughesville

By ALISSA EATON aeaton@sungazette.com
HUGHESVILLE — The borough is considering an option of leasing a more than 70-acre plot of land that could lead it to about a quarter of a million dollars, borough council said at Monday’s meeting.

The land, in the northern part of the borough, could be piggy-backed on to other farm plots in the surrounding area that already have been leased by an unidentified gas company.

The interest in the plot of land was created by the Marcellus Shale formations that are located there.

The Marcellus Shale covers a large area of land from the southern tier of New York through central Pennsylvania and into Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and is estimated to hold between 150 trillion and 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, he said.

And gas companies are paying big money to get at the possible natural gas deposits, and that could create some unexpected revenue for the borough.

The piece of land that could possibly be leased is wooded, according to Frederick Newhart, council president, and it is unsure the exact size of the piece of land.

“It’s somewhere between 75 and 90 acres of land,” he said.

Newhart said council should not wait to long because it might miss its window of opportunity.

“We should look take a look at that now, sooner rather than later,” Newhart said.

But area residents had questions.

Bob Simmons said he was concerned about the environmental impact that drilling may have on the area.

Simmons asked if drinking water in wells would be affected and pointed to municipalities in the west that are “collapsing in on themselves” and wondered if it had to do with drilling that has been taking place on those areas.

Solicitor J. Howard Langdon said that average wells in the borough are 400 feet deep and that the companies drill 10,000 feet. “The companies are saying there is no danger to water or the water table,” Langdon said.

Langdon also said there could be specifications in the agreement that included water tests before drilling and after a test drill.

“If there is a difference, the gas companies will provide water,” he said.

Langdon said he had learned that information from going to various seminars and meetings about the topic.

The borough will be meeting with the company in the future, but Langdon said the borough may have to bid out the piece of land publicly.

Council ended the meeting with an executive session for legal and personnel issues.