Check out Paul Bourgeois' report in Friday's Star-Telegram for more on the gas action in Arlington:
- Fielder Road Baptist Church says it's talking to a gas exploration company about drilling on its big central Arlington campus. Executive pastor Michael Wierick says the welfare of church members and the church's neighbors are of foremost importance. The church has a preliminary feasibility study underway, with results expected back in a few weeks. "We have 1,200 homes around our church and we want to make sure it's good for the community," Wierick said. He declined to identify the drilling company or say how much the church might benefit financially. The most likely well location would be a large parking lot on the eastern edge of the property, between the church office building and the Arlington Independent School District administrative offices, he said. He also said a well might not be possible, given the city's ordinance that requires a 300-foot buffer between a well and other buildings.
- The Arlington Council is considering doubling the setback requirement to 300 feet, although some wells might be allowed closer if the drilling company gets approval from at least 60 percent of property owners.
- The South Davis Neighborhood Association says homeowners are being offered lot bonuses that total between $500 and $700, plus 20 percent royalties. The neighborhood is bounded by Fielder Road, Cooper Street, Pioneer Parkway, and Park Row Drive. Charla Hawkes Price, a Realtor who lives in the neighborhood, said lot bonus offers are averaging $3,000 per acre. The neighborhood is organizing an Oct. 15 meeting to discuss what to do next. Carrizo Oil & Gas, which recently signed up a well site at the University of Texas at Arlington, is a primary player in central Arlington leasing.
Click here to read Arlington's gas drilling ordinance.
Click here to read the details of UTA's deal with Carrizo and a Q&A from university officials.
-- Scott
(S-T photo: EggFest, Fielder Road Baptist Church)
