Nov 7, 2013 3 min read

When Range Resources and Washington County renegotiated the oil and gas lease last year at Cross Creek County Park, one of the projects the Marcellus Shale firm agreed to perform was the construction of a three-mile loop trail near West Middletown.

A county resident emailed the commissioners about the status of the trail, which led to a discussion Wednesday at the commissioners’ agenda-setting meeting.

“What’s tying it up is how long it sits in permitting with,” state Department of Environmental Protection, Washington County Planning Commission Director Lisa Cessna told the commissioners.

After the meeting, she explained that the land has steep slopes above the 250-acre lake, and DEP officials expressed concern about storm water washing through the area.

“The county wants to cut the slopes down, which lengthens the trail.

Range has placed a dollar amount, which Cessna would not reveal until the commissioners take action, on its contribution toward the construction of the trail. It’s likely that the county will agree to pay the costs beyond those Range will shoulder.

Cessna also said she would prefer to work directly with Range’s project engineer to expedite the matter.

“We just want to change the configuration a little bit,” she said.

“We have a trail laid out, but we would prefer to have it come closer to the lake in some places,” said Scott Fergus, county director of administration. “We hope to put spurs off of it at our expense.”

When county solicitor J. Lynn DeHaven announced the agreement with Range in April 2012, the company was required to construct the trail for walkers, joggers, bicyclists and horseback riders. He said at the time that Range would be getting a $260,000 credit for trail work on the amount it is paying the county, but the county, in return, would be receiving $740,000 in value.

At the time, Commission Vice Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan said she had learned that preserving the habitats of endangered bats could potentially hold up the project.

Under the terms of the county’s amended lease with the drilling company, the county is receiving an increased royalty payment. The deal also limited the number of well pads rather than wells, because well pads disturb park land. It also placed a limit on the number of years that oil and gas can be extracted from the park.

Over the past decade, Washington County government has received $8.8 million from royalties and leases related to wells at the 3,000-acre Cross Creek park.

In other park-and-recreation-related matters, the board OK’d a $125,853 contract with GAI Consultants to update the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan and develop master plans for Mingo and Cross Creek parks.

The commissioners also authorized the advertisement for bids on solar-powered electrical features to the new shelter at Cross Creek park.

Both of these expenses are to be paid for with the county’s revenue from oil and gas wells.

The commissioners also agreed to reject bids for Panhandle Trail resurfacing and declined a bid for a paver for the Parks Department because it will not fit with other equipment the county already owns.