CASB asked to allow drilling for gas wells
CALIFORNIA – The California Area School Board is being asked to consider allowing gas wells to be drilled on district property. Eric Mejia of Kriebel Resources addressed the school board’s committee meeting this week, asking the board to consider the possibility and to review a sample agreement. Mejia said Kriebel Resources is a family-owned company located in Clarion.
“We’ve done parks, cemeteries, churches, all with great success,” Mejia said. “You would get a 12.5 percent royalty on all gas that is produced.”
Mejia said the district would also be entitled to up to 300,000 cubic feet of free gas and could buy additional quantities for $1 over the wellhead price per thousand cubic feet, considerably less than is available through the utility companies.
Mejia said that all wells would be at least 200 feet from school buildings, as required by law, and the district would have final say on the location of the well, access road and pipeline right-of-way locations.
Mejia said there was no guarantee of any gas production from the site. The district’s maintenance director, Pete Capanna said there are two capped gas wells on district property from previous attempts to drill. Capanna said the wells did not produce enough gas to be commercially viable.
In unrelated business, the school board is also looking into the possibility of purchasing a tarp for the girls softball field and hiring a fitness room supervisor to fill in for the district coaches in the fitness room after school and to oversee public use of the fitness room each evening from 5:30 until 7:30.
The district has received at least 36 applications for the Information Technology coordinator’s position that is open. The board will also be giving consideration to an Internet policy to be signed by all employees using the Internet in the schools.
The district is continuing to look into the costs associated with special education through the Intermediate Unit 1 as compared to providing the services themselves.
Director John Bayer said he wants more information on what was listed on the bill from the IU 1 as $250,000 for supplies.