Columbia Gas plans $1.03M in upgrades
By LARRY SHIELDSSALEM - Columbia Gas will be replacing more than 10,000 feet of gas lines and risers in Salem beginning next year.
The improvements will help launch a 25-year investment program that will see the company spend more than $2 billion statewide.
In Salem it will spend $1,030,000 to replace gas lines in two project areas, one called the South Lincoln Avenue project and the other called the Vine Avenue project.
The South Lincoln Avenue project will have 4,300 feet of new plastic gas lines installed at a cost of $430,000 while the Vine Street project will have 5,700 feet of lines at a cost of $600,000.
Columbia Gas officials met with the city Utilities Committee Thursday giving it what Chairman Dennis Groves called a "heads-up" on the proposed work in Salem.
David Rau, communications and community relations manager for the company, explained the major components of the investment includes modernization by replacing aging pipelines for a safer delivery and potential economic development and replacement of risers.
Pipe replacement
New plastic lines will be installed which Rau said prevent water from getting in and they will last a "long, long time."
The South Lincoln project will have new lines installed from East Pershing Street to Franklin Avenue.
Columbia from South Lincoln Avenue, Walnut and Bank streets to South Lundy Avenue, South Lundy Avenue from Walnut Street to Franklin Avenue, all of Penn Avenue and a portion of East Pershing Street between Penn Avenue and South Lundy Avenue (4,300 feet) will be replaced.
The Vine Avenue project (5,700 feet) will replace lines on Vine Avenue from East 6th Street to just north of East State Street and East 6th, 5th and 3rd streets east of Vine Avenue to Hawley Avenue.
Rau said it's really going to be a "brand new gas system."
Pam Learman, external affairs specialist in the communications department of Columbia Gas, explained those areas were chosen for replacement first because of the frequency of leaks.
She said Columbia crews keep records on where they receive the most calls.
Riser replacement
T he risers are the part of the gasline coming up from the ground to the meter and Columbia has identified safety issues on many that will be replaced at no direct cost to customers.
Columbia said it will replace 1,475 risers in Salem noting that it will improve safety and eliminate potential costly repairs.
The program will begin next year and Rau said customers scheduled for replacement will receive a letter a few weeks ahead of time.
Rau explained they will follow up with a tag a few days before crews arrive.
He said Columbia is "very sensitive" to landscaping issues and crews will expose only as much of the line as necessary for replacement.
The gas will be shut off and and the exchange made and it necessary crews will update the piping that surrounds the meter.
Once the installation is made, restoration of dirt and plants will be made but in some cases, as weather permits, it made be done later.
The final step is restoration of service and a crew member will have to enter the residence to perform a safety check of gas appliances and the piping. Once safety is verified, gas service will be turned back on.
He also explained that a recent Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) ruling switched responsibility for the service line, the line running from the main line to the meter, from the customer to the gas company.
That action eliminates customer uncertainty if a leak occurs; repairs are done with no direct cost the the customer; it ensures repairs are done consistently; and there is a clear understanding of customer responsibility, the company said.
Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net
