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Ripley consents to terminate WGL Rice Park Trust; assets move to Rice Park Corporation
Summary
The Ripley board heard presentation of a court consent judgment terminating the WGL Rice Park Trust and transferring park assets to the Rice Park Corporation, which leaders said will enable future grant applications and a 501(c)(3) governance structure.
Mayor Fitzhugh presented a consent judgment approving termination of the WGL Rice Park Trust and transferring the trust’s assets to the Rice Park Corporation, city officials said at the Ripley Board of Aldermen meeting on Oct. 6.
The transfer, as described by Rice Park Corporation president Marcus Keeley, moves property, bank funds and equipment previously held by the trust into the corporation’s ownership and will allow the parks to pursue grants and operate under a 501(c)(3) committee structure. “On behalf of myself and the Rice Park Corporation … we want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who played a part in the strenuous long process of resolving the Rice Park Trust,” Keeley said.
Keeley specifically thanked City Attorney Rachel Jackson for “her time, transparency, guidance, and unwavering effort throughout this transition,” saying Jackson’s work “set a firm foundation for our next chapter.” Mayor Fitzhugh noted the transfer had been years in the making and credited local and state attorneys for helping streamline approval through the Attorney General’s office.
A person identified in the meeting as attorney Matt Jones — described by meeting speakers as working in the Attorney General’s office — was singled out by the mayor and others as instrumental in getting the final approval to the AG’s desk. According to the board’s account of the final paragraph of the consent order, “it transfers all the assets of the trust to the corporation,” immediately making the corporation the owner of the trust’s property, bank balances and equipment.
Rice Park Corporation officers who spoke at the meeting included Marcus Keeley (president), Shannon Morgan (vice president), Kimberly Taylor (treasurer) and Kayla J. Keeley (secretary). They said the change will allow the parks to seek grants and other funding opportunities that the trust structure had limited.
No formal board vote was recorded on the consent judgment during the portion of the meeting where the item was presented; the discussion was framed as a presentation and public thanks from the Rice Park Corporation leadership.
The transition affects Rice Park and Cleveland Street Park, and board members said the change could improve access to outside funding and partnerships for park maintenance and programming going forward.
