Congressman Dan Meuser, R-9, is working to arrange a meeting between Schuylkill county officials and new Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to get some answers about a planned 7,500-bed Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Tremont Township.

County commissioners Chairman Larry L. Padora made the announcement at a public meeting Wednesday

“We’re trying to get a meeting directly with Markwayne Mullin, the new secretary of DHS. Dan’s trying to facilitate that,” Padora said.

Plans to use the 1.3-million square-foot facility along Rausch Creek Road have ignited a firestorm of worry and anger among residents of the small community.

DHS bought the former Big Lots distribution center for $119 million in January. In addition to the immigrants, the facility would also house some 2,500 staff. ICE has said it wants to open the center in the spring.

Since then, commissioners, who have no power to stop the facility, have listened to the worries of residents who fear the depletion of Tremont’s reservoir and the overburdening of sewage infrastructure as well as the loss of tax revenue and increased traffic resulting from the facility.

That continued on Wednesday, when several people, including Joe Wiscount of Tremont, shared concerns about water and sewer systems and costs.

“The new infrastructure can’t be done in the time were talking about,” he said. “I know Mr. Meuser released the information; we’re going to have magic answers to everything without any real plans or details provided.”

Wiscount was referring to a prepared statement from Meuser’s office released a week ago.

In that statement, Meuser said that “DHS will draft a memorandum of understanding to provide one time payments for necessary infrastructure upgrades, including communication systems, utilities and roadway improvements were needed. DHS stated the majority of the jobs associated with these facilities will be filled by local workers. With respect to infrastructure, DHS committed to prepare the required water treatment and safe drinking water plans in response to state at local input. DHS confirmed they are prepared to meet all anticipated utility demands, including waste water, potable water, electricity, trash and recycling.”

“This ensures all systems are designed and operated to prevent disruption to local communities and live up to environmental standards. DHS committed to developing and sharing a detailed transportation plan, including preferred routes that avoid local roads, anticipated daily traffic levels once facilities are operational, and consideration of potential roadway from traffic as part of the planning process.”

Wiscount said that instead of being done four months after the building was sold, it should have been done before DHS bought it.

He said he calculated the cost of 165 trucks bringing water in and 165-200 trucks taking sewage out daily.

“The cost, on the low end, is over $1 million a day, possibly as high as $4 million,” Wiscount said. “That’s not even taking the price of diesel fuel into account. I did this before the increase in that (diesel fuel).

“That’s roughly $400 million to $1.3 billion a year. That’s doesn’t even cover the medical care, the emergency services.

“We all agree they chose the wrong location. To house 10,000 people, you don’t pick a place on top of a mountain that has nothing in place.”