Highland Heights Approves $600,000 Settlement in Gas Well Lawsuit

Bass Energy paid to drop breach of contract claim.

The gas well controversy ended quietly with no discussion Tuesday as Highland Heights City Council approved a $600,000 settlement with Bass Energy. Council President Cathy Murphy said that city officials will have plenty to say about the matter, but did not want to speak publicly until the settlement was signed. "It's not done until it's done," she said. Bass Energy had filed a $7 million lawsuit in 2008 after council rescinded a lease to drill two gas wells in Highland Heights Community Park. Mayor Scott Coleman signed that initial lease in 2007. As a proposed settlement to the lawsuit, council considered another lease earlier this year. That lease, which also would have placed two gas wells in the park, was unanimously rejected by …

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No Vote Yet on Gas Well Settlement

Highland Heights Council has first reading on proposed agreement.

A final vote on a proposed settlement of the Bass Energy lawsuit might take place at Tuesday's Highland Heights City Council meeting. The resolution authorizing a $600,000 settlement payment was on the agenda of a special council meeting last night, but no vote was taken. Mayor Scott Coleman said city officials didn't want to take action at a special meeting, but might decide the matter on May 8. "We want to put this behind us as soon as possible," he said. Bass Energy had sought $7 million in its breach of contract lawsuit, filed in 2008 after council rescinded a lease for two gas wells in the city's park. The lease had been signed by Coleman in 2007. A settlement considered earlier this year would have allowed two wells to be drilled in …

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amy feran

8:54 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012

Clearly Mr. Times disagrees with the 73% of Highland Heights residents who, in 2008, overwhelmingly approved adding a new section to the Highland Heights Charter, one that explicitly bans gas wells from the Community Park and all city-owned parkland. While Mr. Times may personally disagree with that provision, it is the law of our city and must be obeyed. This has been a very expensive lesson for…   more ›

Highland Heights Considers Settlement with Bass Energy

Resolution approving settlement is on agenda for special meeting tonight.

Highland Heights to Consider Settlement with Bass Energy

City would pay $600,000, bringing lawsuit to a close.

Highland Heights City Council will consider a $600,000 settlement proposal in its lawsuit with Bass Energy as early as Tuesday. Council President Cathy Murphy said she, Mayor Scott Coleman and Law Director Tim Paluf met with Bass Energy representatives and the company's counsel Friday to reach a settlement in the longtime breach-of-contract lawsuit regarding the drilling of gas wells in the city park. Bass sought $7 million from the city. Murphy said the law director will craft the settlement resolution for council to consider as early as Tuesday. The group has a committee-of-the-whole meeting scheduled that night, but would likely adjourn into a special meeting for the first reading of the resolution. "It would be premature to say how I …

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On the Agenda: Highland Heights Looks at Contracts, Transfers; Plans Executive Session

Council will discuss Bass Energy litigation.

An executive session is planned following the Highland Heights City Council meeting tonight, in which members will discuss the ongoing Bass Energy litigation. The group in March voted not to settle a lawsuit with the company by allowing gas wells to be drilled in the Community Park. Council will also use the session to discuss personnel wages. Highland Heights City Council will also decide whether to approve three contracts, including one that would secure concession services at the city's pool and park this summer. Mayor Scott E. Coleman also hopes council pass an ordinance authorizing a $667,301 transfer from the city's general fund to the capital fund for improvement projects. The meeting starts at 8 p.m. at city hall. View the entire …

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Arbitration Up Next for Highland Heights Gas Well Lawsuit

Hearing not expected anytime soon.

Now that Highland Heights city officials decided not to settle a lawsuit by allowing gas wells in the park, the court battle will resume. Council President Cathy Murphy said the city and Bass Energy never had an arbitration hearing because the proposed lease for two gas wells in the park was an attempt to settle the lawsuit without the need for arbitration. "We have not had any arbitration," she said. "Our attorney will notify the attorney for Bass Energy that we are not going with the settlement and we will proceed to arbitration." Regardless of what happens in arbitration, there will not be any gas wells in the park, she added. "The Bass lawsuit claim is for breach of contract," Murphy said. That means that while Bass Energy can try to …

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Highland Heights Council Rejects Lease for Gas Wells in Park

City will heed wishes of residents and continue to fight lawsuit.

Highland Heights residents clearly said they oppose gas wells in the city park and City Council members weren't about to go against their wishes. Council voted unanimously Tuesday against a proposed lease with Bass Energy for two gas wells in the city park. "We are stewards of the public will. We have clearly heard you just as we did back in 2008," Council President Cathy Murphy said, referring to a charter amendment approved by 73 percent of voters that prohibits park land from being sold or leased without voter approval. Murphy noted that city officials and Bass Energy have been in negotiations for four years and there were numerous attempts to resolve a lawsuit short of allowing wells to be drilled. The lease rejected Tuesday was an …

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Scott Andrew Mills

4:56 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012

Mike, except for the one in your back yard and some of the other new ones (last 5 years), were NOT frack wells. Those were done via a different method. Most of us are not tree huggers, we are however concerned residents that care about our park.   more ›

What Should Highland Heights Do About Gas Well Lease?

Council is scheduled to vote at Tuesday's meeting.

After years of debate and negotiations, Highland Heights City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on a proposed lease for two gas wells in the city's park. The agreement would settle a $7 million breach of contract lawsuit filed by Bass Energy in 2008. At recent meetings, many residents spoke out against having gas wells in the park and a few urged council to sign the lease, arguing that the wells are safe and that the city can't afford to lose the lawsuit. So we're giving a chance for those who haven't attended the meetings to speak their mind in the form of a poll. Recognizing there are different reasons to support or oppose the proposed lease, the poll covers two common viewpoints on each side of the issue. If you're viewpoint …

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Answers To Your Gas Well Questions

Highland Heights meeting wasn't a debate, so we created one.

Highland Heights City Council heard from a lot of concerned residents who do not want two gas wells drilled in the city's park. They had many questions about water contamination, earthquakes and the safety of wells, but no one provided answers. So we presented those concerns to Bill Hlavin, president of Bass Energy, and Amy Feran, spokesman for Love Our Green Space. Is there a risk of earthquakes? This question comes from recent stories about a drilling operation in Youngstown suspected of causing earthquakes. The state created new rules for wastewater-injection sites as a result. "That's a big disposal well. That's nothing like what we do," Hlavin said. Hlavin said the jury's still out, but reports that the well operation caused …

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Residents Pack Highland Heights City Hall to Protest Gas Wells in Park

Council delayed vote on proposed lease to consider wetlands issue.

Highland Heights officials planned to vote on a proposed gas well lease Tuesday night, but decided more discussion was needed concerning potential wetlands in the city park. An overflow crowd of more than 150 residents gave them a lot of other issues to consider. Many attended in response to a flier circulated by Amy Feran and Love Our Green Space, which ran a petition drive in 2008 for a charter amendment to prohibit park land from being sold or leased without voter approval. That amendment was approved by 73 percent of voters, but city legal counsel John O'Neill said it does not apply retroactively to the lease that had already been signed. Several residents reminded city officials of that charter amendment and were surprised that gas …

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