JACKSON TWP — Supervisors unanimously approved a conditional use application submitted by Seneca Landfill Inc. during a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 19.

The application was for mineral use extraction, specifically coal, at 367 Hartmann Road.

Seneca Landfill uses the surface mines near and around that location for daily cover material for its facility. When harvesting that material, the company encountered pockets of coal, which can’t be mined or sold without the approval under the township’s zoning ordinance.

Representatives from Seneca Landfill and Earthtech Inc., a third-party engineering consulting firm based out of Fayette County, attended the meeting to secure the township’s approval after already receiving the approval from neighboring Lancaster Township.

The application approval won’t have any real effect on residents as the work Seneca Landfill performs daily is already in a secluded area away from residential property.

“It’s minimal impact. (Mining the coal) is really just a byproduct of operating the landfill,” said township manager Chris Rearick.

Rearick said after the meeting the reconstruction of Pattison Street Extension, known locally as the “Devil’s Elbow,” would be reopened by the first week in October.

The project, which took about two and a half months to complete, helped straighten out the road by removing nearly 35,000 cubic yards of earth and involved cuts and fills of more than 30 feet in some areas.

After dealing with several winter accidents, the reconfigured Pattison Street Extension will “provide for a much safer connection and gateway into Jackson Township,” according to the township’s public works department.