[StBernard] Chalmette residents gush over drilling

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette residents gush over drilling
They say project may revitalize area 
Monday, December 18, 2006
By Karen Turni Bazile
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau 

Developers plan to drill for oil and gas in the heart of Chalmette, which
has Keith Gex and his neighbors in the nearby Buccaneer Villa South
subdivision in Chalmette thrilled. 

 
In fact, Gex, a lifelong resident of the subdivision, is so encouraged that
he recently bought his mother's nearby house and has tried to buy the
property of two neighbors who demolished their homes in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina. 

"Everyone is pleased," said Gex, 32, an operations manager of a stevedoring
company. "They can't wait for them to drill." 

Gex said his neighbors wouldn't sell to him; they want to wait and see if
prospectors find oil under the neighborhood. 

The St. Bernard Parish Council recently cleared the way for the oil
exploration by agreeing to rezone 2.2 acres off West Judge Perez Drive from
general commercial to heavy industrial conditional use. 

Martin-Marks Operating Co. and Clovelly Oil Co. will search for the oil and
gas on land owned by J & A Meraux Inc., a company owned by the Meraux
Foundation. 

The council included safeguards in its approval. Fencing and landscaping
will be required. And if no oil or natural gas is found, the land will
revert to its original zoning, parish officials said. 

A similar proposal in 1992 drew a chorus of criticism from angry homeowners,
and the council quickly nixed the plan. But things were different when
developers asked again. 

"Most of the people in that area have lost their homes," said Councilman
Mark Madary, who represents the area. "Most see this as an opportunity to
get more money if the well is successful." 

Also, Madary said, limiting the amount of land to be rezoned helped put
people at ease. 

Gex said he attended one of several public meetings to discuss the proposal,
and that people just wanted to know what was going to be involved. 

"When they started talking about drilling an oil well again, people
remembered the panic in the early '90s," he said. "But this time, it's going
to be good. If you find oil, it actually will bring stability to the area." 

David Larsen, 46, agreed. Larsen just bought a two-story house in Buccaneer
Villa South after his one-story house flooded in the Chalmette neighborhood
during Katrina. 

"It doesn't bother me if they drill for oil," he said. "I have several
friends who live around here in this subdivision. It's not that much of a
big deal. They couldn't care less either. Besides, the parish needs whatever
help it can get to boost its revenues." 

Harold T. Anderson, an petroleum land man representing the Meraux
Foundation, the nonprofit foundation founded by the widow of land baron
Joseph Meraux, said parish government will earn royalties for all land it
owns that has minerals flowing beneath it, whether it's government buildings
or streets. 

Anderson is in the process of approaching landowners to get mineral leases
signed before drilling begins. He said he is trying to sign leases with
property owners in parts of Carolyn Park, Buccaneer Villa South, Buccaneer
Villa North and as far northeast as the site of the former Taco Bell and
Stage department store. 

Anderson said developers have been eyeing the tract since an unsuccessful
1930s well showed some promise of oil. 

Madary said despite assurances that the operation is safe and may prove to
be a financial windfall for nearby residents, he was concerned that a
successful well could scuttle plans for a possible deal between the Meraux
Foundation and a not-for-profit group trying to build a new hospital in St.
Bernard. 

"That's their No. 1 spot," Madary said. 

But no one could say what the exact impact would be on the hospital deal,
and Madary and other council members agreed to allow the zoning change for
the drilling. 

"You don't want to deny the rights of the property owner to have use of the
property, and it's a not-for-profit foundation, so the parish would be a
recipient of the some of the benefits," Madary said. "It is still very
important we move forward with the hospital development. As along as the two
can coexist, the parish becomes the ultimate winner on both ends." 

. . . . . . . 

Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or (504)
826-3321.