Goodland agrees in principle to donate lot to childcare coalition with four‑year completion safeguard

Goodland commissioners tentatively agreed to donate a city lot to a local childcare coalition (referred to in the meeting as S4C) while instructing staff and the city attorney to include reversion safeguards in the deed.

City Manager (unnamed) and City Attorney Jake described options for quick‑claim deed language to protect the city if the project does not start or does not reach usable completion. Attorney Jake suggested stop‑gaps: a requirement that construction begin within a set period and that the project be completed within a second timeframe, with reversion to city ownership if thresholds are not met. "We probably want to put stop gaps in there" Jake said, offering a two‑year start and a two‑year completion window as an example.

David, representing the coalition, pressed back that the group has been fundraising and volunteer time invested for years and expressed concern about strict timelines if the coalition needs additional grant funding. He said breaking ground could be imminent — “I think it'll be within 2 months” — but asked not to be unduly penalized if outside events delay completion.

Commissioners discussed alternatives and settled on a general four‑year total completion expectation (two years to break ground and two years to finish, or four years total from donation), with attorney Jake and city staff to draft deed language reflecting the group’s operations and providing defined reversion triggers. The matter will return for formal approval after staff drafts the deed and the coalition reviews it.

What happens next: city attorney will draft the quick‑claim deed with reversing language; the draft will be presented to the coalition at its next meeting and then brought back to the commission for final approval.