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The Monroe County Board of Commissioners signed a lease/royalty agreement with Eclipse Resources on Monday that will add $130,000 to the general fund.
The agreement calls for oil and gas wells to be developed on 26 acres of county-owned property. The terms of the five-year contract state the county will be paid $5,000 per acre in advance and will receive 20 percent in royalties after production begins. The wells will be developed in Adams, Green and Lee townships, with portions of the wells being beneath county roads.
Eclipse's original offer of $4,000 per acre and 20 percent in royalties was renegotiated by Monroe County Prosecutor James Peters. Mike Sherrow with Holland Services negotiated on behalf of Eclipse for the deal.
"We are planning five wells for this area and have many more plans for Monroe County," Sherrow said. "It takes 640-1,280 acres of land per drilling unit."
Meanwhile, Monroe County EMS Coordinator Jeff Seidler submitted $25,317.98 in unpaid bills. He asked the commissioners to pay those bills, some of which date back to April 2013. Seidler said the bills were from squad officers who did not know the bills needed to be turned in for payment.
Commissioner Carl Davis said he would need to consult with Peters before paying the bills, as the Ohio Auditor's Office advised via email.
Sheriff's Deputy Rick Shipp said he had been at the Monroe Care Center and noticed there were no Automated External Defibrillators there.
"I've been teaching CPR at the care center for the last couple years. The staff told me there are no AEDs in that facility. It's a life-saving device. The care center needs one on each floor," Shipp said. "I can't believe the state doesn't require them."
The commissioners and EMS employees present at the meeting agreed with Shipp that AEDs are needed at the center.
"It is not a requirement from the state. We would have been cited on it. But it sounds like a good idea to have them in the care center," Davis said.
LeaderStat Consultant Cyndi Taplin updated commissioners on the status of the care center. She said there are still six residents in the nursing facility and 15 residents in assisted living. She said there is no word on when the state survey will take place for Medicare/Medicaid re-certification. She said staff members have been undergoing clinical competencies and in-services in order to be trained and ready for the upcoming state survey.
"The staff members that are nervous for the survey, we are pretending we are surveyors now. We are telling them to be nervous. We are watching you. Trying to get them not to be nervous is easier said than done. Everybody is going to be on pins and needles. So we're just trying to help them through that," Taplin said.
"The fire panel should be done Monday, Oct. 21, and will be inspected by the electrician. Those guys have really done an amazing job keeping on schedule. They have worked really hard," Taplin said.
Taplin and care center Administrator Mary Rhinehart also said they agree with Shipp and the commissioners that they need to purchase AEDs for each floor of the facility, although it is not a state requirement.