Pitts: Fayetteville neighbors have say on controversial Piedmont gas project

Controversy has subsided over a natural gas project at the entrance of the Foxfire subdivision on Yadkin Road.Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, installed the project, a gas regulator station that will manage the flow of gas from nearby pipelines.

Foxfire neighbors were concerned about how the station looked, its size and location. They were additionally worried about any potential effects on their health.

Longtime resident Bobby Hill has been a leader in neighbors’ efforts scrutinizing the project, said he is still not thrilled about the location. He lives down the street on Brookfield Road, where workers will access the station.

But Hill commended officials with Piedmont for their communication over the last several months, and for a planned brick enclosure that will conceal the site.

He said he has had several conversations with Tammy Thurmon, a Piedmont community relations manager who lives in Fayetteville.

More:Pitts: A fence? A ‘house?’ Fayetteville neighbors angry over gas project offered options

More:Pitts: A fence? A ‘house?’ Fayetteville neighbors angry over gas project offered options

“She has really been good,” he said. “I have to give her credit.”

He said that neighbors and officials with the utility have had in-person meetings as well as participated in video conference calls. The residents were able to choose from a selection of enclosures, he said, and Piedmont went with their choice.

“They gave us several renderings of it, and we selected the one that we want,” Hill said. “It’s going to be eye-appealing. It’s going to have ‘Foxfire’ on it. It’s going to be landscaped.”

Brenda and Caesar Quick’s home on Brookfield is located right next to the station. Brenda Quick said Piedmont paid to have a fence installed that separated her property from the construction site.

“Piedmont is keeping us abreast of what’s going on,” she said. “It's still going smooth.”

Meghan Musgrave Miles, a Duke Energy spokeswoman, said in answer to email questions that the company appreciated “the feedback and open conversation we’ve had with the Foxfire community and local leaders.”

She said: “Piedmont worked with representatives of the Foxfire community who selected a permanent architectural and landscaping solution. The Fayetteville Assistant City Manager also participated in meetings when the options were discussed.”

She added: “We are happy we came to a resolution that will benefit the community to help ensure we continue to operate a safe and efficient system while meeting the growing needs of natural gas customers.”

On Monday, black tarp attached to a metal fence concealed work on the regulator station from cars driving along Brookfield Road. A handful of workers were on site.

A brown, vinyl fence that was previously in place was gone.

“The vinyl fencing was placed temporarily while Piedmont worked with representatives of the community to select a permanent architectural and landscaping solution,” Miles said.

She said work on the new fence, which she described as “brick material,” began in mid-June and would last about four or five months.

Recent work at the site involved connecting the regulator to another station across Brookfield Road that was installed in the past.

“Multiple natural gas pipelines are located near the intersection of Yadkin and Brookfield roads,” Miles said. “Regulator stations must reside where our pipeline network is located in order to regulate the pressure and flow of natural gas to help ensure safety and reliability for our customers and communities.”

Foxfire happens to be the subdivision I grew up in, and my parents still live there. It’s a predominantly Black neighborhood about a mile from Fort Liberty and is full of retirees and veterans.

The gas regulator station surprised neighbors, and myself, when construction began last fall. The vast majority of residents in the neighborhood had not been notified, including my parents, who have lived there since the 1970s.

City Councilman DJ Haire, whose district includes Foxfire, and who was not happy with Piedmont's move, said at the time that notification was not required because the gas company owned the land and the planned construction was permitted under current regulations.

I still give the company no passes for doing an end-run around neighbors — a group they had tangled with over a past project. Foxfire has a strong neighborhood association and I suspect the utility knew neighbors might resist a large-scale project at the neighborhood entrance — a space that has been meticulously maintained with signage, shrubbery and blooms for as long as I can remember.

That said, the utility officials have never indicated they would move the project. As for safety concerns, a Piedmont spokesperson in September said the new station would allow the gas company to retire an older transmission line and equipment. He said the gas industry is highly regulated and the station would be operated by the highest standards required by law.

In short, it is built now and not going anywhere.

Open communication is the next best solution going forward, and it sounds like Piedmont is getting that part right.

I hope this continues to define the way things go from here.

As Hill said of his Foxfire neighbors: “At this point, they feel it’s going as good as can be expected.”

Myron Pitts can be reached at [email protected] or 910-486-3559.