Oconee conservation board votes to recommend $116,000 easement for Keyes family farm

The Oconee County Conservation Bank Board voted May 13 to recommend that County Council fund a $116,000 conservation easement on 553.29 acres owned by Lee Keyes through the South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust.

The recommendation followed a site visit and a review of the bank's grant scoring worksheet. Board Chair Emily Jones said the board would prepare an agenda-item summary and the bank findings to forward the recommendation to County Council: "Do I have a motion that our board recommend to county council that we fund the Keyes family farm through the South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust…553.29 acres at a hundred and $16,000?" The motion was moved and seconded and the board voted in favor.

Why it matters: board members said the parcel lies in the Lake Hartwell watershed, contains streams that flow toward the reservoir, and has substantial frontage on Highway 11 near Interstate 85 — factors the board tied to water-quality protection and a risk of development. AJ, the board treasurer, who accompanied a site visit, described the property as a mix of pasture and large timber tracts and called it "an amazing piece of property, to say the least." Board members used those and other features in the scoring process that produced a total of 51 points for the application.

Board discussion and scoring: Board members spent the meeting reviewing each line of the grant-scoring worksheet. Members noted the property includes pasture used for livestock, larger timbered tracts that are managed on a longer timetable, a pond, at least one stream, and an old family cemetery. The parcel is not contiguous in a single block but is made up of several tracts divided by Highway 11. In their scoring, members awarded points for active farming, forestry plans, proximity to Lake Hartwell’s tributaries and downstream water quality benefits, and the threat of development given the site's location. The board recorded the subtotal at 51 points and discussed that the parcel would pass the bank's criteria even if it were reclassified on a different worksheet.

Funding partners and next steps: The board noted a large state contribution to the project: backup materials show a pledge of $812,000 from the South Carolina Conservation Bank. Members said the South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust will hold the easement and that the county's recommended contribution is $116,000. Chair Jones said she would complete the agenda-item summary and the bank findings for presentation to County Council; the board did not set a final County Council hearing date in the meeting record.

Process, documentation and contingencies: During review members confirmed that easement funding and disbursement follow normal closing procedures and that funds are not released until due diligence and closing occur. Board members discussed evidence requirements used in scoring — appraisals, surveys and certified forestry plans — and noted that similar previous projects required recent appraisals and, when necessary, updated surveys prior to closing. The board also referenced the bank’s grant procedures and the Farm Bureau's history of land-trust work as relevant to enforcement and long-term stewardship.

Taper: With the board's recommendation approved, staff will assemble the formal packet and findings for County Council consideration; the board did not take final funding action itself and the easement will not be final until County Council acts and closing conditions are satisfied.