The State College Planning Commission has given the go ahead for renovations at Penn State’s West Campus Steam Plant. The commission accepted the university’s land development plan at its meeting Wednesday.
The Steam Plant generated controversy when Penn State announced it would be converting the plant from coal to natural gas. Renovations need to be made to accommodate the change.
That work includes the installation of two fuel tanks, a stand-by diesel generator and two electric transformers.
The proposal to convert to natural gas is part of Penn State’s efforts to comply with the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology rules, which are clean air standards issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
James California, an engineer with Buchart Horn Inc., was on hand to allay concerns some residents have expressed about the conversion to natural gas.
Some worry about potential dangers especially because the plant is so close to residential areas. California says a security assessment was done on the plant by a security consultant.
California says walls will also be built around the plant up to 11 feet high to act as a physical barrier to the plant.
“Natural gas has been a secondary fuel source at the plant since 1960s,” California says. “Now it will just be used as a primary fuel.”
Another concern centers on plans to install diesel tanks that would hold up to 50,000 gallons of fuel. California says that the tanks will be double walled, and placed in a containment dike for additional safety.
One part of California’s presentation that struck a chord with the commissioners was a line about how the West Campus Steam Plant has been a good neighbor to the State College Borough.
Commissioner Anita Genger says she lives blocks away from the plant and can still hear its loud inner workings at night.
“It shows how out of touch Penn State is with the citizens of the borough,” Genger says.
Commissioner Michael Roekel, however, disagrees, saying that every time the borough has asked Penn State to come before a borough agency, they have complied.
“I guess that is being a good neighbor,” Roekel says. “In a perfect world it would be nice if the power plant could be off campus, but this isn’t a perfect world.”
The Planning Commission voted to approve of the plan, with a stipulation requiring additional air quality testing.
Matt Lee of Niles Bolton Associates and Ara Kervandjian of PennTrust Properties also gave an update to the commission on the development of a housing and commercial complex at the corner of South Atherton Street and West College Avenue where the old Arby’s was located.
Lee says the complex will have about 200 parking spaces and have a special design for traffic flow so people driving on South Atherton Street don’t have to make a left turn into the complex and clog traffic right before the intersection of South Atherton Street and West College Avenue.
Kervandjian says the building should be set back from the road about 25 feet as opposed to the 15 foot requirement. He also says if that spacing were to change, the height of the building might also have to change.
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