Gateway project expansion moves forward

An upcoming project by TransCanada to replace a natural gas pipeline through the center of Lawrence County, as well as Jackson County and part of Vinton County was discussed at this week’s Lawrence County Commission meeting.

Zane Daniels, TransCanada manager of government affairs, community relations, public affairs and communications, talked about the Buckeye Xpress Project, which will replace approximately 64 miles of TransCanada’s Columbia Gas Transmission’s 20-inch diameter and 24-inch diameter natural gas pipelines with safer, more reliable coated pipe.

Daniels said the $450 million project is in its beginning stages, with TransCanada currently getting input from affected consumers about the growing market demand in the Appalachian region and beyond. Although he said the process is not yet completed, the company is expecting an increase in natural gas demand, and the project has the potential to replace the line with 36-inch diameter pipeline to support that demand.

Daniels added that the old pipeline would be retired once the new one is installed, although it is still going to remain in place. He also said he didn’t expect customers to have service affected during the project, but he wasn’t for sure and told commission he would get back to them on that.

In January of next year, TransCanada is set to file an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is expected to be certified in March of 2019 with construction also slated to start at that time. In November of 2020, the project is expected to be completed and in service.

A Lawrence County public hearing about the project is set for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 at Ironton High School. Public hearings for Vinton and Jackson Counties are set for 6-8 p.m. in McArthur and Oak Hill respectively.

Brett Looney, with the Lawrence County Juvenile Center, talked about repairs that were recently made to the wastewater plant the center uses, and informed commission of monitoring and maintenance that needs to be done on the plant each month.

He said the company who repaired the plant is able to complete the monthly work for $800 a month, which is out of the juvenile center’s budget.

Commissioner DeAnna Holliday said commission had a couple ideas on how to cut that cost by having someone or a group from the county complete the monthly maintenance and monitoring on the plant instead of the company who repaired it. Commission will meet sometime in the near future to determine who that will be.

Commission also approved Commission President Bill Pratt to sign the Gateway Redevelopment Project letter as requested by Ralph Kline and Cindy Anderson, of the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization.

Pratt said this is to rearrange some of the parcels of land at Gateway, which already includes the Ironton Holiday Inn Express and Frisch’s Big Boy, for upcoming developments.

Pratt said that commission couldn’t talk about what was potentially coming to Gateway until some final wrinkles are ironed out, but that there would be an announcement sometime in the near future.

In other action, commission:

• Approved 15 floodplain permits.

• Approved two transfer funds.

• Approved two appropriations.

• Received and referred the Letter of Determination to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office.

• Approved the petition to establish Private Drive 220 as requested by the Lawrence County Engineer’s Office.