DISH — Already unwilling neighbors to an Atmos Energy compressor station built recently just beyond their town’s boundaries, residents have grown more uneasy since the failure of a compressor Oct. 16, when it spewed gas for about 40 minutes between 11 p.m. and midnight.

DRC/Gary Payne

Judy and Jim Caplinger live across the street from an Atmos Energy gas compressor station, shown in the background. The compressor failed in mid-October, leaking gas for more than half an hour.

Several area fire departments responded to residents’ 911 calls, though the leak caused no fire and forced no one to leave the area. The compressor is part of a major gas collection station on Tim Donald Road, sandwiched in between the planning jurisdictions of DISH and Northlake, but close to dozens of country homes, many with horses and other animals.

Town Commissioner Calvin Tillman said many residents have complained to him about the station. In addition to health and safety concerns bubbling over from the leak scare, residents complain about noxious fumes, excessive noise and unsightliness. An eight-foot wooden fence surrounds the station.

Atmos Energy officials have agreed to talk to DISH residents about their concerns in a question-and-answer session during the regular town meeting tonight, but declined to discuss specific solutions that may be in the works.

“Our intent is to make sure we know exactly what their concerns are,” said James Johnson, an Atmos spokesman. “We want to make sure that we’re gathering information, and not coming out there with a solution.”

Resident Bill Sciscoe worries about long-term exposure to fumes, especially by his children, and wonders how an evacuation would really go, given that he’s also a horse owner.

“How are we going to get our animals out?” Sciscoe said. “They’re not going to give you 45 minutes to load them in a trailer.”

Chuck Paul said the lack of noise abatement makes him wonder what else the company is doing on the cheap.

“They’re turning safety over,” Paul said. “They don’t care about us. It’s obvious by how they do things.”

Judy Caplinger, who lives in DISH near the fenced-in facility, has often heard alarms sounding at the station while outside working in her flowerbeds. She said the leak scare that night was bad enough, but she’s also disturbed about the engine noise that is now part of her family’s daily life.

She and her husband, Jim, who moved into their house before the compressor station was built, were surprised to hear there were plans to build as many as 10 more engines. They liken the two already there to a freight train.

“When they’re going full throttle, we can’t talk sitting around our dining room table. They rattle our kitchen windows,” Jim Caplinger said. “With 12 … are they out of their minds?”

Sciscoe said the area used to be very quiet and being outside in the evening was a big part of his quality of life.

“The fumes are so obnoxious, if you go out to have a pleasant walk, it takes your breath away,” Sciscoe said.

Mayor Bill Merritt said he was frustrated by the fact that the station could be built within a foot of the town’s jurisdiction, yet still adversely affect the quality of life for so many residents.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com .

What: DISH Town Council meeting

When: 7 p.m. today

Where: Town Hall, 5413 Tim Donald Road

On the agenda: Atmos Energy answers questions about its gas-collection compressor station.