Hunters in Monroe County will soon have a new place in Chestnuthill Township.

In addition to the millions of public land acres available to hunters statewide, the Pennsylvania Game Commission partners with private landowners to provide public hunting opportunities through its Hunter Access Program.

Last week, Chestnuthill Supervisors signed an agreement with the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s public access program to enter the 197 acres of Vianello properties located at Route 715 and/Effort/Neola Road.

The Hunter Access Program, is governed by a term-lease agreement creating a partnership between the Game Commission and landowner.

“What the agreement means is the township and the game commission will work together to improve public hunting and trapping opportunities and protect wildlife habitat on the land enrolled,” said David Albright, Chestnuthill Township manager.

In exchange for this access, the game commission provides a variety of benefits that includes policing the land and enforcing the PA Game Commission’s hunting and trapping laws while protecting the land for wildlife habit.

Asbestos removal

• Out of the nearly 197 acres of the Vianello property the township purchased at auction, two of the three properties needed asbestos remediation, Albright said.

One property is located at Route 715 and Effort/Neola Road and the second property is located at 130 Little Mexico Road.

Two of the properties had old dilapidated homesteads on them, so the supervisors contacted Mike Butterfield from ACM Associates Inc. of Allentown, to do an asbestos report.

“The report showed asbestos shingles on both of the properties on certain structures,” Albright said.

“ACM Associates gave us a price to do the abatement or have it removed. They also advised removal before us going out to bid for demolition prices,” he said.

The cost of Little Mexico Road property is $2,300 and the property off Effort/Neola Road is $2,500, and that is for them to go in completely and properly dispose of it.

The company will also file a Test Procedure Specification report - a document used by a quality assurance groups or individual, particularly in software engineering, that describes the testing procedures and the testing process.

The township manager suggested the supervisors move forward. The township approved hiring ACM Associates Inc. for the abatement and removal of the asbestos.