Carl Junction Board of Aldermen approves deed restriction on Lakeside Park tied to LWCF grant

The Carl Junction Board of Aldermen voted 5-1 to adopt Ordinance 24-30, approving a declaration of deed restriction required by a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant for the Lakeside Park project (project number 29DashO1749). The measure limits the property’s use to outdoor recreational purposes in perpetuity and authorizes the city administrator to execute the deed restriction on behalf of the city.

City staff explained that accepting LWCF funds typically places a perpetual restriction on parkland, which can make future sale or repurposing of park acreage difficult and would require federal approval or the replacement of sold acreage with equivalent parkland elsewhere. A staff member noted that similar restrictions apply to many large public parks and offered Swope Park as an example of a site encumbered by LWCF-like constraints.

At the meeting a committee member criticized the trade-off, saying the restriction can be “such an overreach” when the grant funds are used to pay for a pavilion or playground on a large parcel of parkland. Staff responded that, while sale or repurposing is possible, it requires approval from the administering agency and often requires replacement land of equivalent size and use.

The final passage motion was made and seconded; following an electronic hand vote the Chair announced there were five affirmative votes and one negative and declared the ordinance passed 5–1. The ordinance number was recorded as 24-30.

Board members said the vote underlines the importance of fully understanding long-term obligations before accepting similar grant funds in the future. No appeal or variance process for altering the grant-required restriction was identified during the discussion.