BIRDSBORO >> A large crowd of residents eager to hear information regarding the Birdsboro Power Plant gathered for the borough council meeting on Monday, March 20. A PowerPoint presentation was given by Councilmen Steve Lusky and Peter Uhniat.
The presentation was initially given on November 7, 2016, and was shared again to answer questions from residents and rectify misinformation.
“Just so everybody knows, we’ve been discussing this project in council and in planning committee for two years,” said Lusky. Whispers could be heard from displeased residents. The residents were notified that RAWA would be responsible for the water supply because the borough does not have enough water. RAWA’s allowing 35 million gallons per day from Lake Ontelaunee. All roads the pipelines run on will be upgraded and paved.
“There has never been a situation where a drought in Pennsylvania state of emergency occurred where RAWA was told they could not take their 35 million gallons from Lake Ontelaunee,” said Lusky. The deal will provide Birdsboro with an interconnect should the water supply be interrupted. Currently, the borough does not have an emergency connect.
The power plant will feature Continual Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), which is a combination of sensors on the exhausts of the plant that will monitor emissions of the facility on a continuous basis. Lusky noted that CEMS was part of the air permit required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The real-time data is submitted to the Pennsylvania DEP to show compliance. The building will feature the latest in dark sky incentives.
Council expects many benefits to come out of the power plants arrival. It is estimated the construction phase will allure 350 to 400 workers-both direct and indirect job creation. Once the plant is complete there is an estimate for 25 on-site job availability. The plant will allow residents to participate in competitively based price on the supply of electricity. Birdsboro has received $800,000 impact fee within 15 days of the building permit application. In addition, the borough has received $135,000 for the purchase of a new paver. The borough will receive $200,000 for the permit fee and a yearly impact fee of $250,000 to be paid annually.
The Birdsboro Municipal Authority will share $200,000 with the borough during the first three years. The share will allow the Authority to invest in capital projects. All trash disposal must go thorough J.P Mascaro including transportation. Council does not believe property value of residents residing close to the plant will be negatively impacted. “From a 40-year real estate career, I see this as nothing more than a positive to our community, said Mayor Joseph Peterson.
A few residents voiced their opinions on notification. Many in the crowd continued to whisper among each other. Most in attendance felt council should have taken better measures to informing their residents of the plan to build the Birdsboro Power plant. “This has not been a secret. This has been the talk of our town,” said Peterson.
