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Mitchell County conservation board outlines park projects, disputes possible sale of donated property
Summary
Conservation board reported park work and partnerships, recommended removing a house that would need about $100,000 in repairs, and contested supervisors' prior appraisal/sale discussions of a donated property valued at about $272,000; the board tabled a cashless-payments policy for more review.
The Mitchell County Conservation Board updated the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17 about park projects, a contested parcel conveyed to the conservation board, and operational policies for campsites.
A conservation representative told supervisors the board plans to begin work at Otranto Park immediately, delay work at Interstate Hart until after July 4 due to scheduled events, and defer Halverson to a later year. The representative said a furnace replacement at a conservation facility is being funded and that staff are finalizing scope and schedules with contractors. The board also noted the upcoming deer/turkey show on March 14 and said the event will involve partners including Pheasants Forever.
The conservation representative said the board is moving forward with removal of a house in the Hoffman area because it would require "at minimum, $100,000" in upgrades to be rentable. That removal decision prompted discussion about the parcel's prior appraisal and whether the property had been offered to the conservation board on the condition it remain public greenspace. One supervisor referenced a past appraisal valuing the property at about $272,000; the conservation representative said the family conveyed the parcel to the conservation board "with the understanding it would stay in public green[s]" and alleged some supervisors had pursued an appraisal or sale outside the conservation board's role. Other supervisors responded that not all board members had been involved and clarified the conservation board itself did not do the appraisal.
On operational policy, the conservation representative said the board reviewed a proposal to move two campsites to a cashless-reservations model but tabled that item to gather additional information and community feedback. They said the parks already use MyCounty Parks for online reservations and that some campgrounds could be switched to fully online payments; the board requested more time to review processing fees and public-access impacts before deciding.
The supervisors did not take a formal vote on the property or park-policy items at the meeting; the conservation board was asked to provide additional information to the board of supervisors for follow-up.
The board will revisit these items when staff return with missing documentation and further recommendations.
