The timeline for first-phase completion of a proposed fire training facility in Nesquehoning remains up in the air as the permitting process slowly moves along.

Carbon County commissioners on Thursday said the Department of Environmental Protection recently commented on an National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit application around four months after the original submittal.Chairman Wayne Nothstein said the county has resubmitted the application, which addresses erosion and environmental issues. "When we hear back on that permit, we can move forward with the bid specifications for the access road and getting those bids out."The first phase of the $10 million project includes widening Emergency Lane from 11 feet to 22 feet to accommodate firetruck and larger emergency vehicle traffic; widening the roadway turning radius to Emergency Lane; relocating the existing access driveway to the water treatment building on the north side of the property; and site preparation.The training center would be located next to the current Emergency Management Agency on the Broad Mountain.It would include an emergency operations and training center building that will measure just over 29,000 square feet, two parking areas with 69 spaces, a 1,600-square-foot law enforcement training building, 400-square-foot observation tower, 1,820-square-foot firefighter's training building, 924-square-foot firefighter's training tower, a storage building, concrete burn pad for class A combustible materials (wood and straw materials) for fire training purposes and four concrete pads for other training or storage.The NPDES permit, commissioners said, is one of many issues that needed resolution before the first phase could move forward."There were some wetland issues and we had to redesign the access road to the communication center, which is what has stalled the NPDES permit," Nothstein said. "Then we had the rattlesnake survey. After the approval from DEP, we still have to take it back to the municipality for final approval, so that is where it's at.""A lot of people are asking what is going on with the project and it can be frustrating getting through the permit and approval process," Commissioner Tom Gerhard said. "That is the case with almost any project you do. Permitting slows everything down."