Laserfiche WebLink
POOK 94 f'AGE 405 <br />WETLANDS PURCHASE CONSIDERATION <br />Chief of Environmental Planning Roland DeBlois reviewed a <br />Memorandum of February 16, 1995: <br />TO: James Chandler <br />County Administrator <br />FROM: Robert M. Keating, AICP AAAK <br />Community Development Director <br />DATE: February 16, 1995 <br />SUBJECT: WETLANDS PURCHASE CONSIDERATION <br />It is requested that the information presented herein be given <br />formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its <br />regular meeting of February 21, 1995. <br />DESCRIPTION & CONDITIONS: <br />For the past several years, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service <br />(USFWS) has been working to.acquire the Kennedy tract, a 90 acre <br />parcel on north Jungle Trail. Recently, USFWS obtained $750,000 in <br />emergency land acquisition funding to be used for purchase of a <br />portion of the Kennedy property. In applying for these funds, <br />USFWS had anticipated that the $750,000 could be used to match <br />county land acquisition bond funds, resulting in a joint USFWS and <br />Indian River County purchase. <br />Since late 1994, county planning staff have been working with USFWS <br />on this project. Because a portion of the Kennedy tract is among <br />the various sites submitted to the County's Land Acquisition <br />Advisory Committee (LAAC) for purchase consideration in the current <br />cycle of land acquisition site ranking, the county is moving ahead <br />with the proposed USFWS/Indian River .County joint acquisition. <br />Just recently, however, timing became an issue. Although USFWS <br />received approval notification of its $750,000 funding request <br />several weeks ago, USFWS just found out that the $750,000 must be <br />committed by February 28, 1995; otherwise, USFWS will lose the <br />money. <br />At present, LAAO has not completed its current ranking cycle for <br />properties currently on its acquisition list and those proposed for <br />acquisition. Since that portion of the Kennedy tract (wetlands and <br />an upland buffer) which is part of the proposed USFWS/county cost <br />share is only a proposed LAAC project, the referenced property has <br />not been formally added to the LAAC acquisition list. As <br />scheduled, LAAC will not consider ranking this cycle's properties <br />until its March meeting. <br />30 <br />February 21, 1995 <br />