Cheshire Selectmen See Pipeline Plans

The Selectmen review the latest route proposed for Kinder Morgan's natural gas pipeline that will take it through the south end of town.

CHESHIRE, Mass. – Kinder Morgan's proposed natural gas pipeline could run 1.9 miles through town.

The proposal would run the line under Cheshire Reservoir and cross the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.

Town Administrator Mark Webber said he recently met with representatives from Kinder Morgan to discuss an overview of its Northeast Energy Direct pipeline that's being shifted north. The original route through parts of South and Central Berkshire sparked vocal opposition.

Kinder Morgan is now proposing to run the line through Hancock, Lanesborough, Cheshire and Windsor, then north into southern New Hampshire, mostly following utility rights of way.

"The purpose of the meeting with the administrators from the four communities today was to just say hello and introduce and hand out this information," Webber said.

If implemented, the pipeline would impact six landowners, he said Webber. One landowner is the state because the line would cross the rail trail. Webber said the proposed plan also shows the pipeline going under Cheshire Reservoir.

Webber said Kinder Morgan would have to negotiate with the land owners.

"They did say they created several millionaire farmers in other regions so they do pay pretty heavily for those land rights," he said. "So it would be negotiated with these six landowners."

Webber said because it is a federally licensed project the state and town have little say in what happens with the pipeline.

"It should be noted that the project is in its infancy, and it will be a few years before it is actually constructed providing it receives all of its permissions," he said. "There is a lot more to come and it is going to be a ways away, certainly a couple of years."

In other business, Webber said he contacted the state Department of Transportation and was told that Dollar General has not yet answered required questions. MassDOT has not issued a curb cut permit yet and does not foresee it happening soon.  

Last week, the Selectmen voted for a peer review by Berkshire Regional Planning Commission of the discount variety store's traffic study. Webber said BRPC has started this process.

• The Selectmen received a letter from MassDOT in response to the town's request for a guard rail to be installed on Route 8 in front of the Bass Water Grill. The restaurant has been hit twice be cars.

MassDOT said it could not install a guard rail because the area does not meet the requirements and it could be a potential hazard and liability.

"Where the guard rail starts, a car could hit it and there could be a fatality there," Selectman Robert Ciskowski said. "The end of the guard rail is treacherous to a car."

• Cheshire received a review of its Town Hall technology and was given a low score because of a lack of data storage backups and a server. Webber said it is important to implement off-site data storage and he will look into it. He said a server may also be something to look into.  

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