Danger in the park

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July 4, 2009

By MIKE FAHER The Tribune-Democrat Sat Jul 04, 2009, 12:24 AM EDT

The warm summer months lure hundreds of hikers – along with their children and dogs – to the trails that wind through picturesque Stackhouse Park.

Many probably don’t realize that they’re passing by a

225-foot-deep environmental hazard.

Now, state officials have developed extensive plans to address an abandoned mine shaft in a heavily traveled area of the park. The government-funded work will lead to some significant disruptions for park users, but officials say the end result will be worth it.

“When it’s all said and done, it’s going to be an asset,” said Jim Pasco, the park’s longtime ranger.

The shaft sits along a trail that is not far from the small clearing where “Shakespeare in the Park” plays are performed in the summer.

It is marked by a round concrete wall and capped by a metal grate. A fence now keeps hikers away, but that wasn’t always the case.

“It used to be a pastime for the kids to get up on there and drop stuff down in the hole,” Pasco said.

That was a risky activity, given that a state Department of Environmental Protection official says there is a 225-foot void below the grate.

Despite the fence, safety concerns persist. The deteriorating concrete wall has large holes, and the ground around that wall is clearly sinking.

Pasco worries that if the concrete and surrounding ground give way, it could have a big impact on nearby Elk Run.

“It’s really a danger area,” he said. “It’s a real hazard.”

Stackhouse is owned by the city of Johnstown and operated by an independent board. DEP officials say they decided to take action at the mine-shaft site

– which has been abandoned for generations – at the request of the park’s local administrators.

Work actually will begin farther up the hill, where DEP plans to drill two “degasification wells” about 20 feet apart near Luzerne Path, a main passageway through the park.

Those wells, while only 10 inches in diameter, will reach 450 feet into the mine tunnels and protrude about 15 feet above the ground. The idea is to allow gases to escape from the mine in a controlled way once the shaft is sealed.

“Currently, the shaft vents itself,” said Art Crossman, a geologic specialist with DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation office in Ebensburg.

The wells, which will remain in place permanently, also will allow DEP to monitor future mine-pool levels.

Well drilling is supposed to happen sometime this year.

Crossman said DEP officials will try to minimize disruptions and schedule around park events.

Work at the shaft itself, though, will be a much bigger undertaking and probably will not begin until late 2010, Crossman said. At this point, state officials are considering filling the hole with either concrete or stone capped by concrete.

That will necessitate building a road into the area to enable equipment to get to the shaft, Crossman said. The work site will be off-limits to the public, he added.

“Is it going to be an inconvenience? Yes, it will,” Crossman said, “because we’ll have to close part of the park.”

Because construction bids have not been solicited, Crossman could not comment on the project’s estimated cost to DEP.

But sealing the shaft is a job that is eligible for federal funding, he said.

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