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Council moves to proceed with seismic survey agreement after assurances, contingent on legal review
Summary
After extensive resident questions about infrastructure risk, the council voted to move forward with a proposed 3D seismic acquisition agreement (TGS/Cougarland) provided staff and legal counsel expand homeowner coverage and finalize contract language; the amended offer included roughly $35,000 in compensation and a proposed $1.5 million, five-year bond.
Roosevelt — The City Council voted Dec. 2 to direct staff to pursue a revised seismic acquisition agreement with TGS/Cougarland, contingent on legal review and expanded insurance and bond provisions to protect private property.
Grant summarized a revised offer from Cougarland that would pay Roosevelt about $34,998.52 and proposed raising the performance bond to $1.5 million for five years. Council and residents expressed concern about potential damage to private utilities and water lines; one resident said repeated water-line breaks on his property left him wary of added ground vibrations.
Ivan Shoptan, representing TGS, described the company’s operational safeguards: use of smaller vibrators than those used in an earlier test, placement of geophones for baseline monitoring, and PPV (peak particle velocity) monitoring during operations. He repeatedly said the permit and contract would require the company to repair any damage it caused. "If there is damage caused by anything... that size reduction does in this area, [it's] written right into the permit that actually states that we will repair those damages," he told the council. He also said the operator would be an additional insured on relevant policies.
Council members pressed for clear language to cover private infrastructure and homeowner claims. Staff and the operator discussed notifications (mailings, door knocks, and local advertising) and said the operator would perform pre- and post-monitoring and avoid buffered zones around identified facilities.
After extended Q&A, Council Member 15 moved to proceed with the land-survey contract, subject to legal counsel revising the draft to expand coverage for homeowners and to return a final contract for council approval; the motion passed unanimously after a second. Staff will seek to include explicit language on liability, hourly rates for any additional city staff work, and how additional costs would be handled.
The council did not sign a final contract at this meeting; it authorized staff to continue negotiations and to present a revised contract that clarifies homeowner protections, monitoring protocols, notification plans and the financial terms described by staff.
