Mine site to be reclaimed over next four months
A project to reclaim the site of the former Mathies Mine is expected to get under way soon.
The mine, which operated in Carroll, North Strabane, Nottingham and Union townships, closed in 2002, leaving 126 mine workers without a job.
Its owner, Mon View Mining Co, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2005.
The $230,000 reclamation contract for the 1,300-acre property was awarded to Canestrale Environmental Control Corp. of Belle Vernon.
Six mine shafts and 17 boreholes will be sealed, and four mine shaft housings and two temporary mine shaft seals will be demolished. Safety fencing will be installed around the sealed shafts, and enclosures and an access gate built. One acre will be revegetated.
The project is expected to be completed in mid-May.
At its peak, Mathies Mine employed about 200 people and produced more than 1 million tons of coal a year.
The mine was purchased last year in bankruptcy court by A.T. Massey Coal Co.
The reclamation was lauded by state Rep. Peter Daley, D-California, who said the project will improve the value and viability of the property.
“It’s all part of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s resurgence in energy production,” Daley said of the work at the old mine. “Washington County will be better prepared for more jobs and investment through this project.”