WHEELING - Councilman Vernon Seals wants to visit some of Chesapeake Appalachia's natural gas drilling sites in Marshall County before allowing the company to work on city property.
Council members Gloria Delbrugge, Robert "Herk" Henry, James Tiu, Don Atkinson, Vice Mayor Eugene Fahey, Mayor Andy McKenzie and Seals voted unanimously Tuesday to table the resolution allowing Chesapeake to drill on city-owned land near Oglebay and Wheeling parks. Members agreed to reconsider the matter during the Oct. 20 meeting, after Seals and Delbrugge said they had a lack of information on the issue.
Though the Wheeling Park Commission has approved the lease allowing the company to drill on its property at Wheeling and Oglebay parks, city officials want to gain more information about the potential environmental impact of Chesapeake's work before allowing the company to drill on city property.
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Photo by Casey Junkins
A crowd of concerned residents, including James Gardill, center, the attorney representing the Wheeling Park Commission, shows up at Wheeling City Council Tuesday to express their views of the plan to drill for natural gas in the area of Oglebay and Wheeling parks.
"I think this council as a whole, and the management and administration, should go down for a tour to have some of this process shown to us," Seals said. The councilman made his comments after listening to several concerned residents and also James Gardill, the attorney representing the park commission in the matter.
During a public hearing prior to the vote, city residents Bruce Edinger and Douglas Sarkis expressed concern about how drilling into the Marcellus Shale layer of the Earth below the land around the parks would impact the resorts. Gardill, meanwhile, did his best to assure council and residents that the process would leave the parks in good shape.
"I am a frequent visitor to the park. I am very concerned about this," Edinger said.
Sarkis said abandoned gas wells on his property have troubled him.
"Oil and gas companies have destroyed the state of West Virginia, as the coal mines have. These companies are ruthless," he said.
Gardill, though, said the park commission is doing everything possible to ensure the land used by the public is protected.
"This is a very responsible step in trying to secure the future of the parks," he said. "The revenue will support the free use of the facilities."
For land titled to the"city of Wheeling" or the "Wheeling Park Commission" within Oglebay Park, the profits from drilling would be equally divided between the two entities. Royalties from properties titled to "Wheeling Park" would be used to improve that facility.
"The drill sites are subject to the absolute approval of the park commission," Gardill said, noting the sites have not yet been chosen.
For those expressing concerns about traffic and noise the drilling may cause, Gardill admitted this would be an issue. He also reminded those in attendance that Chesapeake may yet decide not to drill at all.
"There is no set date for drilling," Gardill said, noting the lease will last for five years. If Chesapeake does not act within that amount of time, they must renegotiate the lease.
But Delbrugge said council needs more time to decide how to vote because members only received the information Friday.
"After listening to the public hearing, I have listened to people's concerns, and since we just received this in our council packet Friday, I really have not had time to read through everything. I understand the concerns, and I would like to ask more questions as we learn more about this over the next two weeks." Delbrugge said. The councilwoman's statement drew applause from many of those in attendance.
G. Randolph Worls, president of the Oglebay Foundation, has said the potential drilling could yield "significant dollars." In addition to park and city property, Worls said there are 10 to 12 private property owners with adjoining land who also have been approached concerning the drilling.
A damage clause in the agreement says the company would be responsible for "all surface damages caused by lessee's operations to improvements, landscaping, growing crops, trees and timber."