EXPLANATION
BACKGROUND:
The City of Columbus, Ohio, an Ohio municipal corporation (“City”), owns 23.85 acres of parkland at Franklin County Tax Parcel 010-252434 (“Property”), which is managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (“CRPD”) and recorded in Instrument Number 200401090006860, Recorder’s Office, Franklin County, Ohio (Deed to Property attached as Exhibit-A, and fully incorporated into this ordinance for reference). The Board of Park Commissioners of the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District, a park district organized under Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 1545 (“Metro-Parks”), entered into a grant agreement with the Ohio Environment Protection Agency (“OEPA”) to obtain funds to restore, protect, and preserve the Blacklick Creek riparian corridor. Specifically, the Property is in the Blacklick Creek riparian corridor, and Metro-Parks requested for the City to grant perpetual, conservation easement rights over the entire acreage of the Property. CRPD reviewed and determined that it is in the City’s best interest to grant perpetual, nonexclusive, conservation easement rights over the entire acreage of the Property, at no cost, because Metro-Parks’ receipt of OEPA grant funds to restore, protect, and preserve the Property and the Blacklick Creek riparian corridor is a benefit to the City and public and fosters intergovernmental cooperation. Therefore, this ordinance authorizes the City’s Director of CRPD to execute those documents approved by the Columbus City Attorney, Real Estate Division, to quit claim grant perpetual, conservation easement rights to Metro-Parks over the entire acreage of the Property.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE ?: Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT: Not applicable.
EMERGENCY JUSTIFICATION: Emergency action is requested so to not delay Metro-Parks’ restoration, protection, and preservation of the Property and the Blacklick Creek riparian corridor, which will preserve the public peace, health, property, safety, and w...
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