A natural gas producer is now eyeing deposits under properties in the area of Oglebay and Wheeling parks.

But any potential drilling wouldn't happen near any golf courses, lodges or areas presently used by the public, a park official promised.

Chesapeake Appalachia LLC has contacted both Wheeling city leaders and park commission members regarding the possible lease and development of natural gas mineral deposits believed to be "located on or underlying certain real estate titled in the names of Wheeling and the park commission."

Chesapeake, based in Oklahoma City, Okla., recently has been drilling in Marshall and Wetzel counties.

So far, there has been no offer made by Chesapeake to the city of Wheeling or its park commission, but both parties are preparing for one, according to G. Randolph Worls, president and chief executive officer of the Oglebay Foundation. A total of 2,200 acres is in question, he continued, involving 67 parcels of lands.

Some of these are owned by the city of Wheeling, and some by the Wheeling Park Commission, its foundations or by private residents.

Legal work has been completed to determine the ownership of mineral rights on the properties.

"What we are attempting to do - in the event we would come to an agreement with Chesapeake is to have an agreement in place as to how we would handle the royalties," Worls said.

Wheeling Mayor Andy McKenzie didn't immediately return calls seeking comment Friday.

How the Royalties Would be Split

Wheeling City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution authorizing the city to enter into a joint agreement with the Wheeling Park Commission "to explore, discuss and negotiate the terms of potential leasing and development" of lands titled in the names of the parties.

The resolution further expresses how any future royalties would be divided between the city and park commission.

For parcels of real estate titled in the name of the "city of Wheeling" or the "Wheeling Park Commission" within Oglebay Park, the profits would be equally divided.

Meanwhile, royalties from properties titled to "Wheeling Park" would be used by the park commission for capital improvements within Wheeling Park.

"We are interested in capturing this revenue for the future interest of the parks," Worls said. "The money would go into endowment funds to assure the operations of the parks."

He noted that the Wheeling Country Club already has signed an agreement with Chesapeake, as have a number of other land owners whose properties surround the parks.

Preserving the Park Properties

The availability of modern technology would permit the extraction of natural gas reserves from park properties without there actually being drilling above ground on the areas most utilized, according to Worls.

He said Chesapeake proposes drilling into the Marcellus Shale layer of the earth - a bedrock formation of sedimentary rock lying beneath the Ohio Valley that could hold trillions of cubic feet of natural gas reserves.

And from a single drilling site, the company would be able to drill horizontally as far as 6,000 feet.

This means Chesapeake could drill on outlying areas of park property, some of which people may not even realize belong to the parks, Worls said.

"We will have the right to choose the point of exploration if we do proceed," Worls said. "We are being conscious of environmental issues, and the park would reserve the right to any final decisions on the drilling.

"In no way, shape or form should this have an adverse effect on the park," he added.

Worls suspects there must be a significant amount of reserves on the properties to generate Chesapeake's interest.

"They are drilling in Wetzel and Marshall counties with success," he noted. "They must believe there is opportunity there."

In 1926, Earl W. Oglebay willed his property to the people of Wheeling on the condition that the city "shall operate it for public recreation."

Two years later, plans were finally worked out for transfer of the property and it was accepted as Oglebay Park on behalf of the people and placed under the governing hand of the Wheeling Park Commission, according to information provided by the park commission.

Wheeling Park began attracting the public while it was still a privately owned estate in the 19th century, according to its Web site.

It was transformed to an amusement park under the ownership of the Reymann Brewery.

In December 1924, $350,000 was raised through pledges from 170 residents and philanthropists, including Oglebay, allowing officials to purchase the property and turn it into a public park.