Letter to the Editor: Do Not Put Gas Wells in Highland Heights City Park

Please, members of City Council and Mayor Coleman, I do not want gas wells in the . I do not want carcinogenic fracking fluid in my backyard. To have these chemicals and wells in a city park is unconscionable.

The drilling companies and ODNR claim that frac drilling is 100 percent safe, but mounting scientific evidence indicates otherwise.

What if an accident happens in our park? You would be forever haunted, if wells go in under your watch. What if there is an explosion or a release of radioactive or toxic fumes while our kids are playing baseball or swimming or attending day camp? What if our groundwater, which runs into Lake Erie – the source of our own drinking water – becomes contaminated and flammable like in Bainbridge and in Medina and in other cities throughout the United States?

How can you even think of putting in gas wells, with all of these known potential risks hanging over your head? I do not believe frac gas wells are safe in urban areas, and I fear for our ground water.

Everyone wants to spin a pretty face on this process but it is not a good thing for our environment and it is not a good thing for Highland Heights.

On behalf of Highland Heights, you must make the right decision and simply say NO – not today, not tomorrow, not ever – to frac gas wells in the Community Park.

Respectfully,

Sam (Sandra) Lees
Highland Heights