A Warren, Ohio, firm has proposed drilling a natural gas well at Mercer County Housing Authority's Malleable Heights community in Sharon.

At least one resident is not happy with the prospect.

CapRock Oil and Gas Co. wants to put the well between 813 Ravine Place and the parking lot next to 827 Ravine.

The well also would be close to a central courtyard.

The company's David Kapp said Monday the well also could be put on authority-owned property at Ravine and George Street, but that would require him getting nearby property owners to sign non-drilling leases.

He said the process would be time-consuming because some neighboring properties are abandoned and finding the owners might be difficult.

State law requires the approval of property owners within 330 feet of the well.

Authority Executive Director L. DeWitt Boosel said he worried about the safety of residents.

Kapp said the wellhead would be fenced off, and Nick Paparodis, vice president of land operations for D&L Energy Group, Youngstown, which would drill the well, said concrete posts would be erected to protect the wellhead from vehicles.

The storage tank and batteries can be built away from the wellhead, and also would be fenced off, officials said.

Kapp said the well would be under low pressure and could not blow up like high-pressure wells have done.

A resident who asked not to be identified thinks the well would be a safety hazard.

"The kids are into anything," she said of some of the community's younger residents. "That's (well) just something for them to do."

The resident said she would fear for the safety of her two children, and other children who live in Malleable Heights.

If the authority agrees to the well, it would receive a $5,000 bonus, and if the well is a good producer, $1,000 to $3,000 a month in royalties, Kapp said. Wells in this area typically last 15 to 20 years, he said.

The authority could receive free gas off the wellhead, but Boosel said the authority would have to pay to run the line from the well to, say, the community center, and he thinks it would be too expense.

Authority board members said they would like to meet with Kapp at the site before agreeing to a lease.