Land‑preservation board reports two easement closings, sets NRCS deadline and authorizes two small‑farm appraisals

At a meeting of the Lexington City Rural Land Preservation Board, staff reported two recently closed conservation easements, said the Natural Resources Conservation Service has set a December 31 application date for its matching program, and the board voted to authorize appraisals for two small‑farm applications.

The updates and vote matter because they affect which farms can access federal matching funds and how quickly the board can complete closings. Board members discussed outreach steps, procurement limits for appraisals that could require a request for proposals, and landowner questions about the size and placement of PDR signage.

Beth, a program staff member, told the board that “NRCS has officially set December 31 as their application date,” and that a possible February date might follow. She said the program’s internal deadline for landowners to submit to the local program is Nov. 14 and that staff will resend mailed postcards and use QR codes on the postcards to link applicants to the online application. “The cards we’re sending out do have a QR code, so the landowners can just scan that and go straight to our website to the application and everything,” Beth said.

Beth also reported that GIS provided a mailing list of eligible landowners: “There are a little over 400 of those when you remove duplicates, and then they also provided a list of all of the properties with the farm address and the acreage, and there are nearly 600 of those,” she said. Staff asked board members to assist with recruitment and outreach to prospective applicants.

The board reviewed two recent easement closings. Staff described Farm 12023, a 40‑acre tract at 4200 Newtown Pike owned by Jeff and Kathy Manley that closed Aug. 21 and is adjacent to a previously conserved 80‑acre tract. Staff said the Manleys’ newly protected parcel is contiguous with more than 2,000 conserved acres and noted the farm’s historic connections. The board also reviewed Farm 12024, a 44‑acre property at 924 Harpinest Road owned by Joe Navarro that closed Sept. 10. Staff said both properties scored highly on soil ratings and lie near other protected parcels.

On internal finance and procurement, Beth alerted the board to a spending threshold that affects appraisal contracting. “There is a limit on the amount we could spend on professional services with one person before we have to get an RFP,” she said, adding that the threshold is $40,000. Beth said the program has performed an RFP for small‑farm appraisals that was published with an Oct. 10 deadline and that, after paying current outstanding appraisals and the two pending PDR offers, the program will have spent about $28,000 of the $40,000 cap. She said the division has $60,000 allocated for appraisals overall but that the $40,000 single‑provider threshold could require an RFP if volume pushes the contract total past that limit.

Board members and staff discussed appraisal qualifications required by NRCS. “NRCS requires that they have conservation easement training and certification for appraisals,” Beth said; the RFP includes appraisal specifications adapted from NRCS formats, she added.

The board also discussed new PDR signage. Several members said they had seen the larger signs in the field. Will Mayer noted the signs are larger than expected and urged sensitivity to landowners uncomfortable with prominent displays; Beth said most landowners contacted so far were receptive and that the signs had been requested by several owners. Staff noted the 2014 farm‑bill language created a sign posting requirement for a subset of easements and that most current PDR owners are not under that requirement. Staff said smaller signs could be produced through the county’s street and roads division for owners who prefer less prominent placement.

After a closed session to discuss potential property acquisitions pursuant to statute, the board returned and voted to authorize appraisals for two small‑farm applicants. Margaret, chair of the board, called for the motion to authorize appraisals for Small Farm 352025 and Small Farm 362025, who submitted ag water quality plans by the Aug. 20 deadline. Jim Coleman seconded the motion. The board recorded the motion as approved by a show of hands; later the chair stated the vote as “10 to 0.”

Board members said they expect a busy application cycle and urged outreach to recruit larger farms to apply. Beth said she would distribute the GIS property list to board members and noted staff will post application materials on the website when NRCS contact details are finalized.

The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. and adjourned.

The transcript records the items above in staff updates, discussion, a closed session called under the cited statute, and the subsequent formal motion to authorize the two small‑farm appraisals. Direct quotations and attributions are taken from the meeting record.