Gas, oil drilling leaves park filthy

Company to clean park since drilling operations completed

For The Record

It appears from photos taken Magnum Producing, LP of Corpus Christi have their work cut out for them cleaning up Claiborne West Park near Vidor after their gas and oil drilling operation proved to be unfruitful.

Representatives with the company were at the meeting of the Orange County Commissioners' Court Monday afternoon to explain their clean up process. Hampton O'Neill with Magnum said the company drilled a hole at the park and they are now trying to clean things up.

Precinct 3 Commissioner John Dubose told O'Neill according to their lease, they agreed to restore the park in the condition it was before. Douglas Manning, assistant county attorney, added Orange County expects the company to abide by a condition of reasonability.

He was concerned Magnum's clean up effort could lead to more harm than good to the park if not done properly.

Another concern of the commissioners was the condition of the water. O'Neill said they will take a water sample and run analysis on the water.

County officials will monitor the company's work.

Donna Scales, park director, asked O'Neill if they replanted the trees the company removed. O'Neill answered no.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Owen Burton asked how many acres of the park were affected by the drilling. O'Neill replied 300 acres.

Some of the wooden mats used as a roadway are three deep and run for one-and-a-half miles. Magnum suggested the company could bury the mats or chip them up.

Manning said the mats cannot be buried or chipped away because roads have to be built to county standards. The boards will have to be removed.

Officials with Magnum will return to commissioners' court in 90 days to report on their clean up progress.

Scales was also appointed to the Keep Orange County Beautiful Committee as county representative to the organization.

Patrick Beebe, mosquito control district director, gave a departmental report to the commissioners.

He said there were 57 service requests for the month of March.

Mosquito surveillance activities consisted of adult mosquito landing rate counts taken in the field. Adult mosquito activity levels were moderated to high in areas of the county during the course of the month due to above normal temperatures and rainfall received thus are this season.

There were 107 ground treatments for March, yielding a total of 104,618 acres treated for the month.

Larviciding treatments for abatement of mosquito concentrations found developing in roadside septic and gray water ditches were begun the month of March. Spot treatments were made in areas checked and found to have mosquito development at the time of site inspection.

Aerial spray sections treated totaled 37 for March, yielding a total of 120,960 acres treated.

The court approved bids to purchase four properties that are delinquent in taxes. One of the bids, however, was rejected.

The properties are as follows:

• 113 Henrietta, sold on June 2, 2009 for a bid of $825

• 1708 11th Street, sold on July 6, 2010 for a bid of $823

• 1204 Rein, sold on September 6, 2005, for a bid of $815

• 2310 Riverside, sold on October 6, 2009, for a bid of $700

• 2401 Riverside, sold on October 6, 2009, for a bid of $540, was declined

Commissioners approved a four-way stop at the intersection of Wexford Drive and Waterford Way near Vidor. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jody Crump said this is the busiest intersection in the Wexford Park subdivision and a study by the Orange County Sheriff's Office justified the four-way stop.

Lastly, the commissioners read a proclamation designating April 2, 2012 as "Confederate History and Heritage Month," and another proclamation for the month of April 2012 as "National Fair Housing Act" month.