Commissioners support Arc of Appalachia's request to seek additional land

Nancy Stranahan, director of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System located at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary on Cave Road, sought and received approval for potential land acquisition from Highland County commissioners Shane Wilkin, Tom Horst and Jeremy Shaffer at their Nov. 7 board meeting.

Stranahan asked commissioners for permission to seek a Clean Ohio grant which, if approved, would allow the sanctuary to purchase three additional pieces of property in the Rocky Fork Lake area.

"The Clean Ohio grant process requires that permission be gained from both the appropriate township trustees and commissioners through a signed resolution in order for our organization to be eligible to submit a grant," Stranahan said in a Nov. 2 letter to Horst.

Stranahan said the trustees of Marshall and Paint townships have submitted resolutions for the grant application process to move forward.

The three tracts the sanctuary seeks to acquire with the grant funds are:

• "Ravens Crossing" – A total of 15.9 acres on Spargur Lane in Paint Township, which is owned by Randy Franklin of Peebles. The negotiated sale price is $3,000 per acre.

• "Maude's Cedar Narrows" – a 61.4-acre tract owned by Emerson and Margo Babington, located at 6320 Skeen Road in Marshall Township. The negotiated sale price is $3,000 per acre.

• "God's Country II" – a 1.75-acre property owned by "Wilderness East" at 6370 Skeen Road in Marshall Township. The negotiated sale price is $45,000.

"Clean Ohio is again offering money for green space," Stranahan said Wednesday. "That money is out there. We either spend it in Highland County or someone else is going to get it. Jackson County may get it anyway."

She said the sanctuary currently has 2,065 acres in the "Paint Creek-Rocky Fork Creek corridor."

Stranahan said commissioners' approval "is very pivotal."

Stranahan said there is "no direct cost to the county. There is an indirect cost."

In her letter to Horst, Stranahan said: "Buying land is an expensive and increasingly challenging task for our organization. With the economic decline, it is increasingly harder to come up with the necessary funds, especially for larger tracts of land. If we are selected for this grant, the fund pays up to 75 percent of the purchase price."

Stranahan said the sanctuary would have to raise $25,000 to fulfill the grant.

Wilkin questioned Stranahan about public access to the acquired property, hunting rights, the removal of the land from the county property tax base and the negotiated sale price for each tract.

Stranahan compared the land usage to a YMCA, which has public funds and charges fees. She said the sanctuary offers a $35 annual fee per family for extended access.

Stranahan said the nature preserve also is not opposed to hunting. "Hunting will be happening," she said. "The deer, frankly, are overpopulated on the western side of the sanctuary."

As far as removing property from the county tax base, Stranahan said "That is a longterm sacrifice for the county." She said the sanctuary hires local people and, indirectly, the county benefits.

On the negotiated terms, she said the grant "cannot be one penny over the appraised price."

Wilkin asked Horst and Shaffer if they had any questions.

"I don't have a problem with it," Shaffer said.

"I don't either," Horst said. "I think it has been beneficial to the county."

Horst then made a motion in support of the grant application to move forward. Commissioners voted, 3-0, in favor of the resolution.

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Airport Authority recommendations

Highland County Airport Authority President Darrell Wilson has recommended Mark Edenfield and Bob Prosek as new members of the authority, in a Nov. 2 letter to the commissioners.

No meeting next week

• Due to the lack of a quorum, the Highland County Board of Commissioners will not meet next week.