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Workers digitize leases for drilling companies
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Scanning of documents to make title searches easier for shale-gas companies has begun.
Diana Marchese, Trumbull County recorder, said workers started scanning Trumbull County leases dating to 1795 on March 28, and it won’t be long until the leases are finished and provided online through the recorder’s office website.
Marchese said the workers, paid by Document Technology Systems, work 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and other hours on the weekend.
The work is being done through an agreement the Trumbull County commissioners reached with the Associated Landowners of the Ohio Valley last month that pays the $253,877 cost of the scanning and digitizing of all records in the recorder’s office at no cost to the county.
Most days, two workers scan documents, and another checks them, Marchese said.
By sometime next week, the leases will be complete, and they will be placed into use on the county recorder’s website, she said.
The workers expect to complete the work by June 15.
ALOV wants the documents — including deeds, leases and mortgages — to be scanned and placed online to make title searching easier for the drilling companies getting ready to drill in Trumbull County for shale gas, Marchese said.
Specifically, ALOV negotiated an agreement with London-based British Petroleum that pays more than 1,000 Trumbull County landlowners with 67,103 acres of land a signing bonus of $3,900 per acre plus royalties of 17.5 percent on mineral values. Marchese said BP also has 2,000 other leases that it plans to bring to the recorder’s office next week to record.
It is not known how many acres of land are involved in those leases, Marchese said.
Marchese said the recording of those leases will produce $168,000 in recording fees, though the state gets half of those fees.
SOIL BORINGS FOR ROAD TESTS
In a related matter, North Central Engineering of Canton will perform soil borings on Hayes-Orangeville Road in Kinsman Township to evaluate the road, said Don Barzak, director of governmental affairs for highway Engineer Randy Smith.
The testing will be done from state Route 7 east 4,000 feet.
The borings are being done before drilling for shale gas and oil by Carrizo Oil and Gas of Houston at a site off Hayes-Orangeville Road, Barzak said.
The engineer’s office doesn’t have a signed road-use and management agreement with Carrizo or any other drilling company yet and doesn’t know when Carrizo will begin road work or drilling operations, Barzak said.
CONSOL Energy/CNX Gas Corp. of Pittsburgh has plans to begin road work and drilling at a location off of Warren-Sharon Road in Vienna Township within the next five weeks.