The proposed natural gas pipeline that will cross through Franklin Township was a focus of discussion at the Feb. 18 Board of Supervisors meeting.

The Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company, based in Dover, Del., is proposing a new 16-inch pipeline that will accompany two other existing lines, but will be run to the east of the current lines because further construction is not possible at the original site. The expansion will allow increased capacity to meet demand for natural gas in central Delaware. 

The new 16-inch line would run from the area of Wingate Farms, southeast under Route 841 and south through Thompson Estates, crossing Route 896 and passing just a few yards south of the Franklin Township Building before rejoining the existing Eastern Shore pipelines that cross Franklin Township. The company already owns a right-of-way for its existing pipelines, but is seeking additional easements for facilities or temporary work spaces for construction along the pipelines. 

At the Feb. 18 meeting, Ralph Olivier, the township Planning Commission chairman, recommended that the Board of Supervisors write to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) about the pipeline plan. The proposed route goes through a 10-acre parcel that had been preserved for future sewage disposal needs. 

Board chairman John Auerbach said the township's sanitary engineers are working with the Eastern Shore engineers, and have provided soil information about the site. Township manager Joan McVaugh said she will work with township engineers to make sure a letter is submitted to FERC. 

Historical Commission chairman Paul Lagasse told the supervisors that the commission had sent a letter to FERC about the Kemblesville pipeline segment, listing several concerns about its effect on historial and archeological resources in the Historic District. 

Members of the Historical Commission also met with Shane Morgan, manager of White Clay Wild and Scenic; and National Park Service river manager Julie Bell, to discuss how the pipeline might impact the area's watershed. 

Lagasse, who is also chairman of the Historic Architecture Review Board, said that group had sent its own letter to FERC, listing concerns about how the pipeline would impact the Historic District.

In other business, Auerbach said that this year's capital road program will focus on drainage issues in several spots where rainwater ponds on the roadway. The work will include replacing pipes and inlet boxes and doing some work on the road shoulders. The sites selected will be Tilden Road at Walker Road, all of Brothers Riding, and a 3,500-foot area of Peacedale Road between Kimbelot and Walker roads. The Peacedale Road  improvements will include the replacement of a crosspipe and the installation of a new pipe and inlet boxes to channel runoff.