They will be hosting a public open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Portsmouth Public Library, 1220 Gallia St., to provide information and answer questions from residents and property owners in the project area.
“We will be replacing some gas distribution mains in some neighborhoods here in Portsmouth — it’s not the whole city — but we want them to be able to get the information from our construction folks about what access to their properties that we’re going to need,“ said Ken Stammen of Columbia Gas of Ohio. “We’ll have to terminate service, just briefly, just probably for a couple of hours as we tie over new service lines. Some people who have indoor meters will have them moved outside, and we would just like to explain the process to them. It should be a boost for safety and reliability of gas service here in Portsmouth.”
The project will affect about 100 customers. It will replace existing steel pipe with specially designed plastic pipe, and is expected to be done by the end of 2011. About 87 natural gas service lines will be replaced.
Stammen said affected customers will be contacted by letter in advance of the construction project. Columbia Gas will make personal contact with customers prior to shutting off service and to schedule service restoration.
Stammen said as a reminder, all Columbia Gas employees and contractors will be carrying identification cards bearing their name, photograph and identification number and will be happy to show it.
Columbia Gas said once the meters are moved outside the home there will no longer be a need for the readers to enter the home.
Stammen said Columbia Gas of Ohio is spending nearly $2 billion over 25 years to improve its 190,000-mile underground pipeline system.
Frank Lewis may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232, or flewis@heartlandpublications.com.
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