All this week, crews from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources have been drilling holes on Edwards Street in Mineral Ridge.  Looking for old abandoned open mines just below ground level.

"Air shafts and things like that, to prevent any subsidence or anything in the future", says David Pugh, Weathersfield Township Administrator.

"We drilled sixteen of the forty one holes so far, the average depth thirty, thirty five feet.  Coal, the old mines are around twenty five feet, is what we're finding right now", says Dennis Bickford, ODNR Exploratory Driller.

A few of the residents on Edwards Street are curious about what else crews might find.

"I was out here the other day when they were drilling. They said they ran into one right over here a little bit, like twenty seven feet under, but not one right here, so not in front of my house. I'm not worried about it", says Kevin Garland of Edwards Street.

But the neighbors tell me everyone who lives here already knows about the mines in Mineral Ridge, in fact a home on Edwards Street collapsed and sank into an open mine just ten feet below the surface back in 1982.

"They did a pretty good job. They spent a lot of money there in taking care of that problem there, and that's what they want to avoid in the future.  They want to make sure they catch that stuff before it gets that bad again", says Pugh.

Meanwhile, Al Parker, who's lived on Edwards since 1943 says he's not too worried about his home or car sinking into the ground either.

"I got that insurance now, if it goes down, thank God, we didn't have that before", says Parker.

Crews will resume drilling Tuesday.  Pugh says once they're done, they'll give the Township a full report on what they found to pass along to any residents with questions or concerns.