‘Fix It’ billboard gets fixed

BY STACI WILSON

Less than 48 hours after a controversial “Fix It” billboard in South Montrose was erected to get a message out, it was taken down, Thursday morning, Aug. 4.

The sign depicted a pitcher of contaminated water said to have been drawn from the well at theCarter Roadresidence of Craig and Julie Sautner.

A small crowd of both pro-and anti-gas groups turned out Wednesday afternoon while the sign was still up and the groups turned contentious at times.

A member of the anti-gas group called someone in the pro-gas group “greedy.”

Julie Sautner said her family received threats after the sign went up on Route 29 on Tuesday, Aug. 2.

On Wednesday, Craig Sautner said his family has been living with a contaminated well for nearly three years.

“I think that’s long enough to wait for clean water,” he said. “I’ve been living this life for three years. It’s time to get it fixed.”

The Department of Environmental Protection held Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. responsible for contaminating water wells in the area.

Sautner told those present Wednesday that the sign put the water issue “back on the front burner where it belongs.”

Cabot spokesman George Stark disagreed, “This billboard represents a falsehood. Test results and science show that the water is clean and meets Safe Drinking Water standards.”

Stark continued, “We continue to ask for others to prove the water is contaminated when we are able to prove otherwise.”

He said the company has tested the water of all of the plaintiffs embroiled in a lawsuit against Cabot.

Sautner also spoke of a water line former DEP Secretary John Hanger promised in late 2010 would be run from Montrose to the affected homes.

Cabot opposed the waterline proposal, as did the borough of Montrose.

Bruce Ferguson of the Catskills Citizens group said the state backed away from the waterline when Cabot voiced opposition to the project.

“The gas companies are more powerful than the state government,”Fergusonsaid.

“The waterline was yanked out from underneath us,” Sautner said. “We deserve that water line. It’s time to step up.”

DEP and Cabot reached a settlement and the state withdrew the waterline proposal in late 2010. In the settlement, Cabot agreed to pay affected homeowners double the fair market value of their homes and install methane separators.

None of the affected homeowners in the lawsuit have taken the offer.

Karen Radwanski, of Dimock Twp., said “They don’t want to settle. They don’t want their water fixed or they would have gone with the Cabot and DEP settlement.”

Others at the event expressed support for the Sautners and other affectedCarter Roadresidents.

Craig Stevens, ofSilverLakeTwp., said the decisions made by some people based on money were negatively impacting others.

“Fix the water or go back home,” Stevens said.

By Thursday morning, Park Outdoor Advertising, who owns the billboard, had received complaints.

Energy-in-Depth Northeast Marcellus Initiative Communications Director John Krohn said the property owner where the sign is located “did not appreciate or welcome the message at all.”

Bill Kelley owns the parcel where the billboard was located. In addition to the PJ’s Cafe property, Kelley also has two local equipment rental businesses that service the natural gas industry.

Julie Sautner said she was not contacted before the sign was taken down.

Park Outdoor Advertising declined to comment about the billboard situation.

But the Sautners are still determined to get their message out.

Julie Sautner said, “That billboard is going up someplace. We’ll just have to see where it is going up.”