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Resident offers to lease and maintain Lake McDonald park; council directs staff to negotiate
Summary
Longtime resident Mike Thomas offered to lease and maintain Lake McDonald park, proposing volunteer stewardship, a 15-year lease (with option), and limited camping to offset costs; council authorized staff to explore and negotiate terms including liability and insurance.
Mike Thomas, who said he has lived beside Lake McDonald for decades, told the McAlester City Council he would like to lease portions of the park and take responsibility for mowing and management if the city would formalize a volunteer or camp-host arrangement. Thomas outlined plans to repair docks, create modest camping sites to offset costs, and to keep the area open to the public.
Thomas asked the council to authorize staff to explore a lease and asked for a volunteer identification process so he could more effectively address rule-breaking without calling police. "If y'all would consider that, I'd much appreciate that," Thomas said, offering details about equipment he would use and proposing a 15-year lease with an additional 15-year option.
Council members and staff flagged legal and insurance questions around leasing public park land and emphasized that any privatization would require a formal process, likely an RFP and legal review. The council voted to direct the city manager and city attorney to negotiate and report back; the motion explicitly preserved council oversight and does not commit to a final lease.
Next steps: staff will investigate liability, insurance, RFP requirements and prepare draft lease or stewardship agreements for council review.
