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LISBON -- Village council is still trying to decide whether--and how--to potentially earn money from Willow Grove Park.
Councilman Peter Wilson is still encouraging the village to seek a conservation easement for the park, and he stressed that the Aug. 27 deadline is fast approaching.
Wilson first broached the idea about the easement through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC) earlier this year. The WRLC offers conservation easements that limit the use of the land to preserve its conservation or agricultural resource values.
Placing the park under a permanent conservation easement would protect it from development in perpetuity, with the property owner allowed to determine how the land can be used but those terms cannot be altered once the easement is in place.
The WRLC would pay the village $1,000 to $2,000 an acre. The village would then pay the WRLC a $10,000 fee or 10 percent of what is paid to the village. The park encompasses 38.37 acres.
Council is considering the possibility of earning money from the park through logging of trees, which was recommended by former mayor Joe Morenz, who previously contacted a logging company to see what could be earned through that route.
"There was a lot of money for trees in there," Morenz said this week, adding that some estimates were at $2,000 per tree.
Fiscal Officer Tracey Wonner said she has contacted another logging company, since the first company that was contacted didn't have the proper machinery and resources to log within the park.
Councilman Jerry Cox felt the village should also be looking into leasing of mineral rights in addition to selling the timber.
"I really think we need to find someone that has the right equipment. If we don't timber those trees they are going to fall down and rot, so we might as well capitalize on that," Cox said.
In other matters, council approved:
-- Requiring free yard sale permits for the Route 30 yard sale Aug. 9-11.
-- A request from the cemetery supervisor to park cars during the fair to raise money for equipment.
-- A request from the cemetery supervisor to purchase a Bobcat Excavator from the JH Clark Fund (not taxpayer money) at the cost of $43,824.
-- Paying bills in the amount of $44,099.
-- The First United Methodist Church sidewalk replacement project. The project will commence in mid-to-late August.