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Natural gas drilling proposal denied near local park

FRANKLIN PARK, Pa. — The Franklin Park Borough Council has voted to deny a Marcellus shale gas lease to Penn Energy that would have allowed drilling near a popular park.

Residents have expressed opposition to the plans to allow fracking along Big Sewickley Creek Road near Linbrook Park. The final vote was 4 to 2.

"They are listening to us residents," said Thaddeus Popovich. "I know some of them personally and they are all aboveboard, I like them."

The well pad would've been in Economy Borough, a mile and a half from the park.

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"I think they were getting weary of us showing up so often, but we understand we have voices and before this we didn’t know we had voices. That’s very important," Popovich said.

But some residents weren't happy about the decision and were in favor of the proposal.

"This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to get some money back to hold onto our land as preserve it and a lot of us just lost that opportunity," said Dave Graff. "The improvements would’ve been made to the township. They were planning on putting public sewers through the work that would’ve improved that park tenfold and now they're out of the picture. It’s pretty upsetting."