Jim Thorpe borough council will not make a decision on leasing UGI Utilities land to host a peak-shaving facility until December, but several residents attended Wednesday night's council meeting to make their feelings known.

UGI is asking the borough to store two 10,000-gallon tanks filled with liquefied natural gas on property behind Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall.The company would use the excess gas to feed into its pipeline if a supply shortage occurred in the winter.While UGI has claimed the tanks would be safe, residents Gail and Randy Smith feel otherwise."It would seem to me this is a very bad place to put a gas tank," Gail said. "You have kids playing at Memorial Park, you have Memorial Hall that will hopefully be hosting events and most concerning of all, you have a school right next door."Smith was referring to the neighboring Jim Thorpe Area High School."It blows me away that you would think about putting this there."Last week, Randy Hall, of Prometheus Energy, who would supply the tanks, said they would be double walled and much safer than a propane tank.If for some reason pressure would build up in one of the tanks, Hall said Prometheus could set it up so that some of the liquefied natural gas is bled down into the pipeline."Even if that weren't to occur, if the gas was vented it would vaporize," Hall said. "It's lighter than air whereas propane is heavier than air."Randy Smith told council he's concerned about UGI's safety record and cited a pipeline explosion in Allentown in 2011 that killed five people.UGI was fined $500,000 by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission."If you're taking a risk because there is money to be made, I don't think it's worth it," Randy Smith said.Councilman John McGuire said the lease would not be a money making venture."The money we've talked about is around $9,100," he said. "This isn't about that, it's about making sure everyone in the borough has enough gas."UGI representatives said Jim Thorpe is at the end of its pipeline and the peak-shaving facility would only be necessary for several winters while it makes upgrades to the main line."I have a lot of the same concerns as you do," Councilman Curtis Jackson told the Smiths.Last week, Hall told council someone would be at the site at all times to monitor the tanks. At most, he said, someone would be no more than 15 minutes away so they could respond if necessary."That kind of alarmed me," Council President Greg Strubinger said.McGuire said UGI is also looking at a site in Lehighton if Jim Thorpe does not lease it land.