Barnesville Council Approves Lease with Gulfport Energy Corporation
Barnesville Village Council members voted Monday evening to accept the oil and gas lease bid from Gulfport Energy for the approximately 590 acres of village owned property that was not under contract.
The lease is expected to increase the town’s financial reserves by approximately $4.8 million.
Solicitor Richard Myser had already prepared a resolution for passage of accepting the bid for Gulfport, anticipating council would choose the corporation.
The other bid came from Grenadier Energy Partners III. Myser explained the similarities and differences between the two companies’ leases. The second bid by Grenadier would result in about $737,500 less.
Both leases are for a five-year period with a five-year option to renew, provide a 20% royalty and both are a gross royalty instead of a new royalty. However, where the corporations differ is that Gulfport is willing to pay $8,250 an acre and Grenadier is willing to pay $7,000 an acre.
Mayor Jake Hershberger explained that multiple big parcels are partially leased and partially not. The village does not know the exact amount, so it advertised a full parcel, noting some of the parcels are already leased in production. What is available to lease is approximately 600 acres.
Council voted to suspend the rules and pass the ordinance as an emergency awarding the contract to Gulfport.
MAYOR’S COURT REPORT AUG. 2025
Mayor Hershberger reported Mayor’s Court revenue for August was $1,170. Of this amount, the village retains $794, the state gets $362.50 and Belmont County, $13.50.
DEPOT LEASE
At the last meeting, Councilman Brad Hudson asked to table the third reading of the depot lease (Ordinance #4012) with the Barnesville Community Foundation/Barnesville Depot Committeee.
Council decided to make a change to the lease itself rather than the ordinance. Members voted to remove paragraph 17.2 from the lease, a clause stating the lessee, the Barnesville Community Foundation, and the sublessee, the Barnesville Depot Committee, could restrict or deny any use of the premises if they determined the use would damage the historical integrity of the building and property.
Under the revised lease, council members reserve the right to limit or restrict the use of the premises but the other two parties cannot restrict or object to any contract or use village council members decide to pursue.
Council unanimously passed the ordinance. The contract now goes back to the depot committee and Barnesville Community Foundation for their review and consideration. A lease is required by the State of Ohio as a condition of the $75,000 grant awarded for roof work.
Myser also told council the annexation of the baseball fields has been filed and is ready to be recorded.
RESERVOIR GRANT APPLICATIONS
Myser asked Hershberger if he would like to proceed with a resolution for the application for the Clean Ohio Fund from the Ohio Public Works Commission for the proposed reservoir purchase recently approved . Hershberger said if council is willing, he’d like members to act on the resolution.
The village has an active contract agreement to purchase the Long Run Reservoir property from Capstone Holdings.
The acquisition of the property was just over $1.7 million with a down payment of $25,000. Hershberger said the village has 12 months to find funding for project. The Clean Ohio Fund’s goal is to preserve land The funding assists municipalities buy land.
Restrictions come with the funding. Council would have to be willing to have the land preserved and reserved for recreational purposes.
To proceed with the grant application, approval from the Belmont County Commissioners and Goshen Township Trustees is required.
The village is splitting the purchase agreement into two categories: one for the land portion and the other for the reservoir portion, because if in the future the village wants to connect it to its water treatment plant, a pipeline between the two will be required. The funding could potentially hinder the village from doing that. Hersherbger said, therefore, the village would use its money to buy the body of water, while the grant would fund the land portion of the property.
The application deadline is end of the month requiring a resolution from the village.
Myser read Resolution #4025, to authorize the application for Clean Ohio Funding for the preservation of the reservoir project. Council voted to suspended the three reading rule deeming it an emergency and passed the resolution.
The village also submitted a letter of intent, stage one, for an AMLER grant (Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program), administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the reservoir project. This is federal money earmarked for revitalization or repurposing of previous coal mining land. The property had been previously coal mined. However, since this land was mined after 1977, it does not qualify.
VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR REPORT
Village administrator Roger Deal said he hopes everyone is happy with the progress of the South Chestnut Paving Project.
Deal said there is still work that needs to be done. NLS Paving will return to town at the end of the week to work on some manholes that were covered during paving.
FIRE CHIEF REPORT
Fire Chief Tim Hall reported that emergency medical services dispatched 107 calls for medical emergencies in the month of August. The fire department responded to 20 fire calls. Medical services transferred one patient from Barnesville Hospital to another facility.
Hall also noted the fire department will also have a chicken barbecue fundraiser on Sept. 27 during the Pumpkin Festival.
J-MO’S MEAT PROJECT
Deal mentioned the storm hole sewer project currently underway at J-Mo Meats near Railroad Street. Initially, it was a storm sewer project. Crews replaced pipes that were broken and collapsed and installed a prefab catch basin.
Toward the end of the project, a sewage manhole began leaking. Crews had to put a piece of culvert pipe into it and concrete to stop the discharge. Crews covered everything over and will return to the project after the pumpkin festival.
Adam Ackerman from Ackerman Builders LLC is assisting the village on the project.
PERMITS
Council approved of a permit for Camden Hill at 443 East Church Street for a new porch.
PAYMENTS
Council gave Fiscal Officer Jeannie Hannahs permission to pay the payment of $226,713.22.
NEXT MEETING
The next village council meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 23. This is a change from the Sept. 22 meeting due to the Eyes of Freedom Opening Ceremony that will take place that evening at Barnesville Middle School.
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