Municipal News
- Last Updated on Friday, 05 July 2013 20:51
By J.R. Brower
Nottingham Township Meeting: June 17, 2013
An activist group, The Center for Coalfield Justice, has been meeting regularly since early May with Nottingham Township residents who are in opposition to the proposed Ramaco deep coal mine.
Nottingham Township Meeting: June 17, 2013
An activist group, The Center for Coalfield Justice, has been meeting regularly since early May with Nottingham Township residents who are in opposition to the proposed Ramaco deep coal mine.
The meetings have been taking place in the Nottingham Municipal building with permission granted by the Nottingham Board of Supervisors. As a result of actions at their most recent meeting, they will no longer be allowed to meet at the municipal building. This decision was rendered by the board after they learned that a Nottingham Township resident and Zoning Hearing Board member who attended the Coalfield Justice meeting, was asked to leave during a break by the Coalfield Justice group’s leader, Executive Director Patrick Grenter.
Mr. Joseph Judeikis told the supervisors that before the residents broke up into smaller discussion groups; Grenter asked the attendees if any of them were employees of Nottingham Township. Judeikis said he approached Grenter and explained that, although he was not employed by the township, he was affiliated since he is a member of the Zoning Hearing Board. Grenter told him that he would still have to leave without giving him a definite reason. Judeikis added, that after learning that he (Judeikis) had 36 years of experience in the mine safety field, He was asked technical questions about low-wall coal mining and to share his explanations with the group. Judeikis told the supervisors that he “couldn’t believe what he was hearing” from the activist group leader. He said he told Grenter, “You’re asking me to leave, yet you’re asking me to provide technical assistance to your group.”
Asked to respond on the supervisors’ action after the fact, Grenter said he regretted the board’s decision, and explained, “There was a request for any municipal officials or Ramaco employees to leave at the halfway point in the meeting. This request was made in order to make sure that residents felt comfortable discussing actions aimed at protecting themselves from the Ramaco mine. This is not an unusual request in meetings that occur regularly across mining communities around the region.”
The website of The Center for Coalfield Justice states that the organization’s mission is to “improve policy and regulations for the oversight of fossil fuel extraction and use; to educate, empower and organize coalfield citizens; and to protect public and environmental health.”
Resident Sue Ryaby, whose property adjoins the property Ramaco purchased, has attended all three Center for Coalfield Justice meetings. She admits that she has heard group members speak disparagingly about Nottingham officials. She said, “She defends the supervisors’ actions.” She reminded other members, “The board did a good job requiring Ramaco to meet 62 fairly strict conditions in order to operate the proposed mine.” She also said. “She was aware of the leader’s (Grenter's) request that those associated with Nottingham Township government leave the most recent meeting - we sometimes go by how we’re guided.”
Resident Lee Schafer, who is running for supervisor in the fall election, said, “This is really wrong. The supervisors don’t deserve to be disrespected by the group, but they were.” He said, “He was appalled that a group using a public building for a meeting open to all concerned residents would actually bar another resident because of his association with the township board. You’re having private meetings in a public building against your own supervisors. That's wrong."
Supervisor Douglas King, who actually gave permission to the group to use the meeting room at no charge, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the group’s actions adding, “it would be best if they found a new place to meet.”
Board Chairman Peter Marcoline summed the situation up in a motion: “The Center for Coalfield Justice improperly barred a representative of Nottingham Township from a public meeting, so they can no longer meet in the municipal building.” He also included wordage in the motion that anyone requesting use of the meeting room in the future put it in writing so that the board can then discuss and act upon it. The motion passed unanimously.
In other matters, the Nottingham Board of Supervisors:
Mr. Joseph Judeikis told the supervisors that before the residents broke up into smaller discussion groups; Grenter asked the attendees if any of them were employees of Nottingham Township. Judeikis said he approached Grenter and explained that, although he was not employed by the township, he was affiliated since he is a member of the Zoning Hearing Board. Grenter told him that he would still have to leave without giving him a definite reason. Judeikis added, that after learning that he (Judeikis) had 36 years of experience in the mine safety field, He was asked technical questions about low-wall coal mining and to share his explanations with the group. Judeikis told the supervisors that he “couldn’t believe what he was hearing” from the activist group leader. He said he told Grenter, “You’re asking me to leave, yet you’re asking me to provide technical assistance to your group.”
Asked to respond on the supervisors’ action after the fact, Grenter said he regretted the board’s decision, and explained, “There was a request for any municipal officials or Ramaco employees to leave at the halfway point in the meeting. This request was made in order to make sure that residents felt comfortable discussing actions aimed at protecting themselves from the Ramaco mine. This is not an unusual request in meetings that occur regularly across mining communities around the region.”
The website of The Center for Coalfield Justice states that the organization’s mission is to “improve policy and regulations for the oversight of fossil fuel extraction and use; to educate, empower and organize coalfield citizens; and to protect public and environmental health.”
Resident Sue Ryaby, whose property adjoins the property Ramaco purchased, has attended all three Center for Coalfield Justice meetings. She admits that she has heard group members speak disparagingly about Nottingham officials. She said, “She defends the supervisors’ actions.” She reminded other members, “The board did a good job requiring Ramaco to meet 62 fairly strict conditions in order to operate the proposed mine.” She also said. “She was aware of the leader’s (Grenter's) request that those associated with Nottingham Township government leave the most recent meeting - we sometimes go by how we’re guided.”
Resident Lee Schafer, who is running for supervisor in the fall election, said, “This is really wrong. The supervisors don’t deserve to be disrespected by the group, but they were.” He said, “He was appalled that a group using a public building for a meeting open to all concerned residents would actually bar another resident because of his association with the township board. You’re having private meetings in a public building against your own supervisors. That's wrong."
Supervisor Douglas King, who actually gave permission to the group to use the meeting room at no charge, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the group’s actions adding, “it would be best if they found a new place to meet.”
Board Chairman Peter Marcoline summed the situation up in a motion: “The Center for Coalfield Justice improperly barred a representative of Nottingham Township from a public meeting, so they can no longer meet in the municipal building.” He also included wordage in the motion that anyone requesting use of the meeting room in the future put it in writing so that the board can then discuss and act upon it. The motion passed unanimously.
In other matters, the Nottingham Board of Supervisors:
- Approved a 2-lot subdivision based upon conditions for Kenneth and Margo Foster. Lot 1 is located on Venetia Road, and Lot 2 is on Munntown Road, according to Mark Cain of Widmer Engineers, who addressed the board. He said that the two lots are divided by the CSX railroad track, and that Lot 1 will be served by the Peters Creek Sanitary Authority, while Lot 2 will not and will require a septic system. Cain also explained that the lots will be subdivided by a company known as Venetia Commons. Board approval is subject to completion of an engineering plan as well as a sewage planning module for each plot.
- Approved and signed the findings and conclusions on the conditional use application of Ram Farms, LLC (Ramaco) for their proposed deep coal mine as prepared by Township Solicitor James Liekar.
- Acknowledged receipt of a request by Range Resources to do seismic testing along three properties in the township. The company also gave certified notice of their intent to drill a natural gas well in Somerset Township.
- Acknowledged receipt of a letter from Bob and Denise Douglas, Gilkeson Road, thanking the board for their dedication and service to the residents of Nottingham Township
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