To understand how residents here feel about Shell Chemicals, one first has to understand the geographic layout of Potter Township.
POTTER TWP. — To understand how residents here feel about Shell Chemicals, one first has to understand the geographic layout of Potter Township.
Rebecca Matsco, chairwoman of the township’s board of supervisors, said Potter has two main residential developments: one on Mowry Road and another on Pleasant Drive.
The two neighborhoods share one common trait: They are mostly built on top of a large hillside that serves as a barrier between homes and the industrial corridor nestled between Route 18 and the Ohio River.
“I would say we’re somewhat insulated from our industrial area,” Matsco said.
She added that the Raccoon Creek green space in the township serves as a “pretty substantial buffer between industry and our residents.”
Two other historical aspects are important to consider. Potter Township always has been home to some sort of industry, and most of that industry operated in a time when state and federal governments didn’t have stringent environmental regulations to hold companies accountable.
As lifelong Potter resident Jim Bishop said, what’s here now is far better than what came before it.
“The way I look at it with Shell coming here, there is no way possible (Shell) will be as bad as what was there,” he said. “Times were different back when St. Joe’s (a lead and zinc processor) was there. There weren’t any restrictions or rules. The ground was so toxic, there’s no way Shell could be as bad. The (Environmental Protection Agency) wouldn’t allow it.”
Bishop, who lives on Mowry Road, echoed a sentiment previously put forth by Supervisor Butch Shamp.
“We’re used to industry being down there,” he said. “I thought it was great that somebody came in and took Horsehead’s place. Otherwise, that land would have sat vacant forever.”
Steven Kochanowski, whose grandfather and uncles worked at the old St. Joe’s plant, said Tuesday that Potter residents understand the township’s history, which makes the Shell development much more palatable.
“We’ve lived around much more dangerous plants, even before my time,” Kochanowski, 33, said. “Potter is the only township that’s sustained industry in the county for the last 100 years.”
Kochanowski also agreed with Bishop and said there is “no way” Shell will be worse for the environment than the lead smelter was.
In addition, he said every time he’s had a question regarding Shell, he’s received an answer in a timely fashion.
“Everything I’ve seen of them has been first class,” he said. “They didn’t come in like a bull in a china shop. They came in and worked with the community.”
Vicki Carlton, who also lives on Mowry Road, said her biggest complaints concern traffic jams on Route 18 and dust kicking up onto cars from construction at the site.
But beyond that, she said the sound of river barges going through the Montgomery Locks and Dam on the Ohio River is more annoying than anything she’s heard from the Shell site.
“Nothing is going to change,” she said about the project. “Once it’s up and running, we probably won’t even notice it’s there.”
Homer Summy, who is retired after working more than 35 years at a General Motors plant, lives on Pleasant Drive and said he supports the cracker plant because of its economic benefits.
“You have to have progress,” he said about the local economy. “Anything that brings more work here, that’s progress.”
Klause Ploschnitznig, who also lives on Pleasant Drive, said people who oppose the plant have forgotten that America was built on industry, and it will continue to be so.
“Every part of every corner in America was built by industry,” he said. “Without manufacturing, you don’t have modern America.”
Barb Taormina lives on Mowry Road and said she’s most concerned about traffic backups on Route 18 during the mornings and evenings.
“That will be a permanent problem for people,” she said. “If you’re down on Route 18 at 5 p.m., you’re going to sit in a line while they let all their employees out.”
But when it comes to any environmental concerns, Taormina said she’s more concerned with Shell’s ethane pipeline than she is about the cracker plant. She referenced the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota as an example where pipeline projects can have detrimental effects on the environment.
“I could see why people would have concerns about it,” she said.
Regardless, she said she is happy that jobs are returning to the township in the aftermath of Horsehead’s exit.