Author name: Brian Brock

Drilling for natural gas is preceded by geophysical surveys. What lies beneath the surface of the earth can be estimated using measurements of various forces: magnetism, gravity, or sound (seismic). In late May and early June, an airplane was measuring the strength of the earth’s magnetic field across our region. The plane has twin engines […]

Horizon Wind Energy’s plan for a Franklin wind farm advances with approval by the Planning Board and Town Board this June for the erection of a second meteorological tower. The first is on the western slope of Northfield Mountain (at 2,100 feet) and can be seen from Russell Road. The second will be on the

Deciding to lease your property for gas drilling may be the easiest step. Next you have to negotiate the wording of that lease. This article offers a basic lexicon of leasing. A gas lease is a binding contract with you (the lessor) granting a company (the lessee) the right to extract gas — and possibly

Winds over Franklin could be generating electricity and tax dollars in the near future. Early last year, Horizon Wind Energy erected a meteorological tower on the northwest slope of Northfield Mountain at the Perout property bordering Whitbeck Road (seasonal) off Russell Road in Merrrickville. Results have been promising enough that the company has begun the

By leasing your land to a gas company, you could gain a lot of money: thousands of dollars an acre as a signing bonus and even more from years of royalties. But we all risk losing money and so much more besides. Siting, drilling, fracking, and completing are industrial operations that for one well run

The Early Years Booze flowed freely for Franklin’s first century. With primitive roads, one of the few cash crops for export was alcohol fermented from farmers’ grain. Barrels were shipped down the Susquehanna River to Philadelphia. Closer to home, inns and taverns along the Catskill/Susquehanna Turnpike served much whiskey and beer. East Franklin (now Treadwell)

This year, the Cornell Cooperative’s annual spring tour of alternative energy looked mostly in Franklin. The Love and Hope Cat Sanctuary on Stewart Road draws heat directly from the earth. Two wings of the 9,000 sq. ft. Sanctuary are each supplied by separate fields of buried tubing 70 X 80 feet. Inside two heat exchangers

This is the third in a series of articles on the extraction of our natural gas. The first discussed the formation of this gas. The second described the siting and drilling of your gas well. After the vertical length of the hole has been drilled down to the black shale and across the horizontal length

Property taxes are a source of funds for all our local institutions: Village, Library, Town, Board of Education, Fire Districts, and County. It is the largest source of funds for Village, Library, and Town, and would be for others if not for State and Federal payments. It is a tax on real property (or realty),

The Beehive has changed ownership but stays local. The new owners are siblings Sue Gray, Carol Ganim, and Bill Zipp. The sisters have lived in the Village for five years and their brother is newly arrived. The solstice on Friday the 20th of June ushered in both summer and dinners at the Beehive. Dining is

Franklin has had one or more Justices of the Peace since its earliest days, although since a State statute was passed in 1962, he is referred to simply as Justice. This position began in England during the Middle Ages when a proclamation of Richard I in 1195 appointed knights to keep the peace locally.  In

This is the first in a series about our local government. Later installments will cover the Justice of the Peace, Assessor, the Fire Departments, the Board of Education, and the Village Board.