Feb 23, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

Peters Township officials plan to meet with the group of developers who are in the process of purchasing the now-shuttered Rolling Hills Country Club in an attempt to acquire some of the land for various municipal uses.

That meeting is expected to take place in mid March, Michael Silvestri, township manager, said following the Feb. 22 council meeting.

“We would like to meet formally,” he said.

The club, which consists of 190-acres along East McMurray Road, would give the township the needed land to potentially build a swimming pool or expand its walking trails, projects that Peters residents indicated that they would like to see in their community. Also, the Peters Township School District has expressed interest in the land as a potential site for a new high school.

The township and district sent a joint letter dated Feb. 11 to the club’s board expressing their interest in the land.

The group buying the club includes the principals of Horizon Properties, one of the major developers of Southpointe. The purchase price is between $9 million to $10 million, Silvestri said.

In other matters, council agreed to continue work on a final version of a lease with EQT Production Co. for subsurface drilling under township property from a well that will be built on Lutes Road in adjacent Nottingham Township. Peters could receive anywhere from $400,000 to $700,000, plus royalties from the project, Silvestri said.

The well site is approximately a quarter mile from Peters, just off of Venetia Road. EQT plans to construct a well pad and drilling facility that would accommodate 24 wells, though it is not certain if that many wells will be constructed. EQT owns the drilling leases on nearly 68 acres of land on Lutes Road and has said it owns the contiguous R-1 properties.

There are no gas wells in Peters, but there are active wells in neighboring municipalities. Also, a number of Peters residents have signed leases with energy companies in the hope the township will allow drilling to take place.

“Around 65 percent of the people living in that area have signed leases,” councilman Jim Berquist said.

“It doesn’t mean they know what they are doing,” replied councilman David Ball, who along with chairman Robert Lewis, voted against finalizing the lease with EQT.

A handful of residents at the council meeting appeared to be evenly split about the EQT project in Nottingham. Some feared the pollution and noise that would be generated. Others, however, said the financial benefits are too good to turn down.

“We would reap the benefits,” said councilman Frank Kosir Jr. “From a financial standpoint, the money on the table is too good to pass up.”