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The Tennessee pipeliners are having a positive impact on commerce and the community, says Donna LaBar, executive director of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s been a real shot in the arm to our economy — very positive,” says LaBar.
Henkels and McCoy, the construction contractor for the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, have shown themselves to be very supportive of the local community, contributing a sizable donation to the GHP fireworks as well as Leadership Wayne’s restoration project involving the Civil War statue in Central Park, LaBar explained.
Positive feedback
“I have heard nothing but positive feedback from businesses, from people who have been renting apartments to pipeline workers and their families ...They’re very courteous, always a positive experience with them,” LaBar.
“So, our businesses are really benefiting, because the workers are eating, they’re staying, they’re renting places, they’re buying goods and services from local businesses, buying gas. I could name a number of local businesses they’re buying services from,” she added.
“A number of the campsites are really benefiting because the workers are coming in with their campers/ their travel trailers because they’re moving from job to job. They’re very interested in campgrounds,” LaBar said.
Fran Vendetti, owner of Ponderosa Pines Campground in Honesdale, says pipeliners started arriving in April.
“Right now I have 18, and they’re all in their own campers. They are from really all over the country. I have Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, (and) Wisconsin,” Vendetti said.
“They’re absolutely wonderful people. They work very hard and they normally just have one day off and they just relax on that day. They have been absolutely wonderful with my seasonals as well as my weekend campers. If anybody else wants to come, I’d welcome them.”
“It’s a nice addition to the summer business,” said Jim Petorak, general manager at the Hotel Wayne in Honesdale.
“We’ve had a number of people working on different parts of the project, the pipeline, staying at the hotel and having dinner with us. They enjoy the lounge, the bar and the restaurant,” Petorak said.
John Bonham, owner of John Bonham Road Equipment and Supplies in Honesdale, says they’ve delivered culvert pipe to crews in Milford and Uniondale, along with dust control for the dirt roads.
“Everybody’s said they’ve been very respectful and very accommodating,” Bonham said.
Business has doubled
Bob Hefele, owner of the Spin Cycle Laundromat on Church Street in Honesdale, says they’re doing at least twice the amount of business that they normally do in the summertime.
The Tennessee pipeliners are having a positive impact on commerce and the community, says Donna LaBar, executive director of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s been a real shot in the arm to our economy — very positive,” says LaBar.
Henkels and McCoy, the construction contractor for the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, have shown themselves to be very supportive of the local community, contributing a sizable donation to the GHP fireworks as well as Leadership Wayne’s restoration project involving the Civil War statue in Central Park, LaBar explained.
Positive feedback
“I have heard nothing but positive feedback from businesses, from people who have been renting apartments to pipeline workers and their families ...They’re very courteous, always a positive experience with them,” LaBar.
“So, our businesses are really benefiting, because the workers are eating, they’re staying, they’re renting places, they’re buying goods and services from local businesses, buying gas. I could name a number of local businesses they’re buying services from,” she added.
“A number of the campsites are really benefiting because the workers are coming in with their campers/ their travel trailers because they’re moving from job to job. They’re very interested in campgrounds,” LaBar said.
Fran Vendetti, owner of Ponderosa Pines Campground in Honesdale, says pipeliners started arriving in April.
“Right now I have 18, and they’re all in their own campers. They are from really all over the country. I have Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, (and) Wisconsin,” Vendetti said.
“They’re absolutely wonderful people. They work very hard and they normally just have one day off and they just relax on that day. They have been absolutely wonderful with my seasonals as well as my weekend campers. If anybody else wants to come, I’d welcome them.”
“It’s a nice addition to the summer business,” said Jim Petorak, general manager at the Hotel Wayne in Honesdale.
“We’ve had a number of people working on different parts of the project, the pipeline, staying at the hotel and having dinner with us. They enjoy the lounge, the bar and the restaurant,” Petorak said.
John Bonham, owner of John Bonham Road Equipment and Supplies in Honesdale, says they’ve delivered culvert pipe to crews in Milford and Uniondale, along with dust control for the dirt roads.
“Everybody’s said they’ve been very respectful and very accommodating,” Bonham said.
Business has doubled
Bob Hefele, owner of the Spin Cycle Laundromat on Church Street in Honesdale, says they’re doing at least twice the amount of business that they normally do in the summertime.
“We’re probably averaging about 400 pounds of wash a day,” Hefele said, when they normally do one or two loads amounting to 40 to 80 pounds.
“They are perfect gentlemen. You couldn’t ask for nicer gentlemen or more honest people. Everything is ‘yes sir,’ ‘no sir.’ And we’ve been able to run the drop off part of the business completely on honesty. They come in, they just leave their bags in our laundromat with their names and phone numbers. And then we weigh it, do the laundry and then we call them and tell them how much it was. And they come and pick it up at their leisure ...I just thank them because they’ve been the nicest people. We’ve made a lot of great friends in a very short period of time,” Hefele said.
Steve Motichka, owner of Rent-E-Quip in Honesdale, says they have a great working relationship with the pipeliners, that they’ve actually added another full time employee based on how busy they’ve become.
They’ve been renting and selling all types of equipment, including small tools, pumps and generators, along with renting light towers for crew to work at night.
“And we’ve purchased new equipment (to rent out): pumps, generators, welders, (and) bale mulchers for landscaping — about $100,00 worth,” Motichka said.
“I just appreciate their business in a big way,” Motichka added.
1,600 hired
George Doll, superintendent for Henkels and McCoy, the construction contractor for the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, says the $400 million construction project — which starts in Coudersport, Pa. and wraps up in Lackawaxen Township — should be completed by October 30th.
“We’re putting in 109 miles of 30-inch steel line in six different locations,” Doll said, three loops in Susquehanna County and one each in Potter County, Wayne and Pike counties.
“There are four spreads,” he said. The four spreads, with about 400 employees each, include Honesdale, Tioga, Towanda and Wilcox.
“We’ve probably hired on 1,600 employees. Fifty percent of those workers are from Pennsylvania,” Doll explained.
Employees represent four union crafts, including the Teamsters, Welders and Helpers, Operators Union and the Laborers Union.
Asked about the work being done on Route 191, near the Wayne County Fair Grounds and whether or not they’d be finished in time for the 149th Annual Wayne County Fair, Doll said, “We’re out of there. Bill Pykus is finishing putting stone down in the disturbed area. After they have the fair, I can come back in the middle of August; we’ll dig the pipeline back up and we’ll start setting pumps to get water out of the Dyberry Creek to hydrostatically test the pipeline.
“It’s required by the DOT to test the pipe once it’s in place. You fill it full of water and build it up to a pressure of 1800 pounds and keep the pressure constant for eight hours, checking for any defect in the pipe. Usually a pipeline that is faulty, it’ll blow out the seams,” Doll explained.
As to when gas will start coming through the pipeline, Doll said hopefully by October 15.
“They’ll pump gas out of the Gulf and store it in the pipeline and distribute it to people as they need it,” Doll said.
