A $7 million project is set to start in Centre County. Here’s what it means for area businesses
With work to begin next month, the Centre Hall Natural Gas Project aims to connect over 100 local businesses and homes to natural gas while fostering jobs and industrial development in the borough and Potter Township.
The $7 million project was supported by state and county officials, the planning and community development office and Centre Hall businesses. With the help of a $1 million Pipeline Investment Program grant, the construction of a $2.7 million point-of-departure station and 25,425 foot pipeline will be completed by Columbia Gas, which will match funds and services, according to a SEDA-COG press release.
The project is a collaborative effort between the state, SEDA-COG Natural Gas Cooperative, Hanover Foods and Columbia Gas.
“From businesses to local and legislative support, we thank everyone for helping to bring this important project to fruition,” wrote Don Kiel, cooperative executive director, in a press release. “That’s what makes this unique regional cooperative approach for natural gas service possible.”
The point-of-departure station will connect to a Dominion Energy natural gas transmission line west of the borough which will run through Centre Hall and to Hanover Foods in Potter Township. The station will reduce pressure from gas in the transmission line to a lower pressure suitable for the delivery system, according to the release.
Hanover Foods, a family-owned manufacturing company, was the first business member of the SEDA-COG Natural Gas Cooperative. It will be the largest business to receive natural gas from the pipeline delivery service.
The release said the project will help support up to 150 family-sustaining jobs in the community and will make natural gas accessible to 130 acres of vacant acreage, making it “marketable for industrial development,” reports the release.
Centre Hall Mayor Ray Hankinson said the project will promote industrial development in the community by expanding natural gas resources. He said the project adds another option for consumers to choose when selecting a fuel source, adding that natural gas is a cheaper form of energy with a smaller carbon footprint than oil and wood.
“(Natural gas) is a cheap energy that Pennsylvania has a lot of already,” he said. “There’s a lot of synergy in this project.”
Helping fuel Hanover Foods and other local businesses, Hankinson said the project could bring industrial development projects to the Centre Hall area.
Sammis Greenhouse and Brother’s Pizza supported this project, according to the release.
Leo Sammis, owner of Sammis Greenhouse, said the pipeline will create a more dependable form of energy. Sammis currently uses propane to heat the greenhouse. With the natural gas pipeline, he said the business wouldn’t be so reliant on propane deliveries.
“We have to have the heat when we need the heat,” Sammis said, describing an incident where a delivery was postponed due to a blizzard. “We can’t go one day without it in the greenhouse.”
Columbia Gas Communications Manager Russ Bedell said work on the first phase is scheduled to begin Sept. 3. Bedell said drivers should be aware of changes to speed limits, lane changes and workers directing traffic.
“Columbia Gas employees and contractors will be working Monday through Friday, and traffic control measures, including flaggers, will be in place to keep traffic flowing,” Bendell said. “Our goal is to restore paving as the project progresses wherever and whenever that is possible.”
Once completed, the initial phase could connect between 300-500 customers, including residential and nonresidential entities. While the cooperative is responsible for securing and managing grant funding, Columbia Gas will own and operate the station and its delivery system.
Construction on the first phase is planned to be completed in 2020. A groundbreaking date has been set for Sept. 19 at the Tri-Municipal Park on Upper Brush Valley Road in Centre Hall.
