Some residents’ concerns about a pipeline run were alleviated after their questions were answered from a company representative.

The Port Arthur City Council held a public hearing at their regular meeting on Tuesday morning.

The first public hearing was to consider issuing a major pipeline permit to GT Pipeline, LLC of San Antonio. The permit was to install a 20-inch carbon steel pipeline and a 16-inch carbon steel pipeline within the city limits of Port Arthur.

The city’s pipeline committee approved GT Pipeline laying the pipe.

Warren Field, chairman of the committee, said however, they are “gravely concerned” about pipeline safety coming so close to residential sections. They favor thickening of pipe walls, reinforcing of concrete walls — particularly across ditches and bayous.

The pipeline will be 45 feet below the surface and 10 feet below across ditches.

Field suggested to the city council to relay a message to subcontractors a layperson could do some tasks on the job such as flag waving.

Mayor Derrick Freeman agreed and said he would like to see Port Arthur citizens hired in laymen jobs.

Moreover, the city is collecting data in a graphic information system collecting from pipeline companies to start identifying what Field called “the spaghetti across our properties.”

John Beard Jr., said he was concerned about pipeline maintenance and safety features to isolate portions of pipelines during emergencies that pass under schools, churches and places where people live.

“If you have a pipeline that ruptures, and the isolation valve is 30 miles away for a 6-inch, 10-inch or even 16-inch in diameter, that pipeline will take a long time to depressure; a long time to burn that out,” Beard said. “Meanwhile, people’s lives are affected and disrupted and the environment is possibly compromised.”

Beard said he favors ways the pipeline committee can make communities safer while at the same time allowing businesses to do business here.

The next public hearing was to consider or not to issue a major pipeline permit to Florida Gas Transmission Company of Houston for the installation of a 16-inch carbon steel pipeline with the city limits.

Willie “Bae” Lewis Jr., District 5 councilman, asked Kyle Colson with Florida Gas if their pipeline will pass near residences.

Colson said if they come near to a residence they would drill 60 feet under the ground using a directional drill.

Lewis then asked where the isolation valves were at on the pipeline.

Colson said their pipeline is 11.5 miles long on both sides of levee. It is designed to shut if it loses pressure on the downstream side and block off on both sides.

He added that residences have been contacted about the pipeline work.

A question was asked about hiring locally. Colson said he’s never seen contractors on a job this size that didn’t hire local people. Freeman said they like to use the term Port Arthur residents instead of local because that could be someone out of the city.

Resident Nina Shelton asked Colson how close the pipeline would come to her home at 5048 Shortline. He said the pipeline wouldn’t impact her property at all because it will be 200 to 300 feet away from her property.

Shelton, however, showed Colton a gate in her backyard on a map that couldn’t be 200 feet away, but more like 75 feet away.

Colson said they would bury it 40 feet underground. The answer seemed to satisfy Shelton.

“I have three little boys. I’m very concerned about my kids,” she said.

Lewis asked how much pressure the line would carry. Colson said it would be 975 PSI.

“Nine hundred seventy-five PSI. One leak would displace a whole lot of people,” Lewis said.

Colson agreed and said that line pressures was something Florida Gas doesn’t take very lightly.