Council, chamber work to help businesses affected by Atmos Energy gas leak

At its March 26 meeting, City Council approved waiving temporary sign permit fees for businesses affected by the Atmos Energy evacuation.

The waiver for temporary signs, including banners, will be in effect through Sept. 30. To date at least 67 businesses along the Williams Drive corridor have been affected by the gas leak evacuations. Each business will still need to make an application for temporary signs and follow the City’s standards for temporary signs, including placement and size.

Last Friday the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce sponsored a meeting for affected businesses to listen to concerns and ideas with representatives from the City, Williamson County, and Atmos Energy. The chamber has also created a webpage at georgetownchamber.org/williams-drive listing businesses affected by the evacuations. The list includes the current status of businesses along the Williams Drive corridor, including if they have been able to return to their location, are working from a temporary location, or are closed.

Atmos Energy continues work to remediate the effects of the underground gas leak that was found Feb. 20. That leak was repaired, but Atmos Energy continues to vent residual gas found underground. Last week, Mayor Dale Ross requested the state begin assessing the response to the residual gas remediation.

Currently, 62 homes evacuated and 59 businesses evacuated. Since March 15, eight businesses and 11 homeowners have been able to return to their places of business or homes.

Atmos has posted an updated FAQ page and evacuation map. The page also provides information about the claims process and actions Atmos is taking to resolve the issue of residual gas underground.