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TO : James E . Chandler County Administrator DE TMENT HEAD CONCURRENCE : u f Robert M . Keating , AICP Community Development Director .lvp FROM : Roland M . DeBlois AICP Chief. Environmental Planning DATE : February 14 , 2001 SUBJECT : Request for Board Approval of Amendment to Option Agreement for State Cost-Share Reimbursement : Fischer-Sebastian River Conservation Area It is requested that the information herein presented be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting of February 20 , 2001 . DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS The Board of County Commissioners . at a public hearing on March 19 , 1996 , approved county purchase of the +95 acre "Fischer - Sebastian River" property using environmental land bond funds . The property is located on the east and west shorelines of the south prong of the St. Sebastian River, north of C .R. 512 (see attached map) . The County closed the purchase in January 1997 , under the premise that it will proceed to obtain cost-share reimbursement under the State Conservation and Recreation Lands ( CARL ) program . To that end , on August 22. 2000, the Board of County Commissioners approved an Option Agreement for County sale of the Fischer- St . Sebastian River property to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund ( TIITF) at a price of $605 , 000 . and authorized staff to take steps as necessary to facilitate the sale closing . In working with state staff to close the sale, county staff was recently informed by state surveyors that there is a survey discrepancy at the location where a 60 foot wide public access easement is intended to connect with the conservation area. More specifically, there is an eight foot "gap " that needs to be addressed before the State will close the sale ( see attached survey depiction ) . To resolve the easement gap, it is proposed that the County grant a 60 foot wide access easement over the adjacent Proctor parcel that the County recently purchased to construct a public canoe launch facility ( accessing the Fischer- Sebastian River Conservation Area and the St . Sebastian River ) . The attached proposed Amendment to Option Agreement contains language saying that the specific location of the easement will be mutually agreed upon by the County and the State prior to State exercise of the Option . ANALYSIS An alternative approach to resolve the survey gap is for the County to file a corrective deed with a revised access easement survey description . However, that would entail approval from Dr. Henry Fischer, who sold the property to the County . Staff thinks it is less complicated for the County to resolve the access issue as proposed, by granting the State an access easement over the Proctor property . The Proctor parcel was acquired by the County for the very reason of access : as such, an easement to the State is consistent with the County ' s planned use of the Proctor parcel . The nor-them 60 feet of the Proctor parcel can be dedicated to the State as an easement without interfering with the canoe launch design that has already been locally approved . From county staffs perspective, the easement dedication is academic , since the canoe launch facility will afford the State the access it needs . Notwithstanding, County approval of the attached option amendment will facilitate cost- share reimbursement from the State, in the County ' s interest . FEBRUARY 20 , 2001 DK ; i� rG 2222 - 37 -