Advertisement

LAIRE - With Council member Patricia Drollinger casting the lone dissenting vote, members of the Bellaire Village Council gave approval to DTE Gas & Oil Company to lease oil and gas rights underneath Craven Park. "They canÕt put any pipelines or flowlines down,Ó Council Executive Janet Person said. "Our zoning ordinance prohibits it. We will also get the money they have promised up front.Ó Person went on to say DTE officials canÕt do anything. "They canÕt even put a shovel in the ground until the zoning ordinance is changed and you give them the permission. This is a non-developmental agreement and according to that that cannot do anything.Ó Person said council members would have to approve any changes and DTE officials are aware of that item. "I just donÕt trust these guys,Ó Drollinger said. "They always come in after the fact. I just do not trust them and I think it is a bad idea.Ó "This is a non-developmental lease,ÓPerson reiterated. "They (DTE) canÕt do anything there. I think underneath the zoning that you have there that you will be safe. We would have to go to court if they started to put something in.Ó She said village attorney Bryan Graham was comfortable with the lease arrangement as proposed. DTE officials are seeking to acquire a set number of acres to determine a "pool,Ó Person said, adding they will not erect any wells until they reach that number. "(County forester) Mike Meriwether said even if we didnÕt do it, they would do it anyway,Ó council member Dennis Balon said. "I just do not trust these people,Ó Drollinger repeated. Person sad the village would stand to receive $5,800 in an upfront payment. "If we donÕt sign this then we donÕt get anything,Ó village president John Hanson said. Council member Butch Dewey was absent from the meeting. In a related matter, officials approved a quit claim deed from the Bellaire Public Schools for their 1/3 of the park property. During a title search on the property, it was discovered the district owned 1/3 of the property, Person said. "In the 1950s or sometime, the village gave the district 1/3 interest in the parcel and the proceeds would have had to be split between the two. The school signed a quit claim deed giving us back their 1/3 interest and they had no problem doing that.Ó The only stipulation added by the district that if the ball fields are reconfigured they be done according to the standards established by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Graham also reviewed this contract and had no concerns with it, Person said.