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Waterline a safety measure for Rockies Express Pipeline

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By Denise Wilson, Staff Writer Updated 10:44 PM Wednesday, November 18, 2009

MONROE — The city of Monroe has decided to accept $200,000 from Rockies Express Pipeline and to use the money to install a waterline on Greentree Road to ease residents’ concerns in case of a fire at the gas pipeline facility.

This decision overrides a deal struck by the city and Rockies Express Pipeline last year requiring the company to install a fire hydrant near the REX-East natural gas pipeline compressor station south of Greentree Road near Interstate 75.

The city’s code requires a fire hydrant within 450 feet of any new development. Rockies Express requested that the city waive the requirement, which the city’s Planning Commission declined to do.

Allen Fore, a spokesman for Rockies Express Pipeline, recently made the cash offer to the city instead requiring the company to construct the fire hydrant, which none of its other pipeline facilities has, that was supposed to be part of a 1,700-mile pipeline project.

“We’re fully prepared to install the fire hydrant consistent with what we’ve agreed to with the city already. However, the cost estimates have gone up on that to around $200,000. We outlined in the letter that we feel that they’re better ways to spend that money to benefit the city and we’re offering to pay in lieu of the fire hydrant a cash payment to the city in the amount it would cost to put in the fire hydrant for the city to do what it wants to with that money in the interest of public safety,” he said. “We’re certainly interested in public safety and we have employees in this facility and we have operated tons of compressor stations across the country and over 30,000-miles of pipeline.”

Council narrowly approved a motion by a 4-3 vote to accept the cash payment and to earmark the money for the installation of a waterline along Greentree Road.

City Manager William Brock told council the water from the fire hydrant would not put out a gas fire if one were to occur at the site, but instead would protect buildings at the site.

The city plans to begin the design work for the project this year and complete the work by fall of 2010 at an estimated total cost of $750,000,

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