County secures grant for White River parkland
By Tyler Lamb
Editor
Citing concerns relating to state hunting regulations, the Walworth County Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 last week to refer a pair of ordinances back to committee. One ordinance would allow hunting and trapping at the proposed county park along the White River in the Town of Lyons, while the second ordinance would accept a $1 million DNR grant to assist with the purchase of the parkland.
As a requirement of the DNR grant, the county would have to allow hunting, fishing and trapping within the boarders of the park.
“As a condition of this grant, you cannot place more restrictive hours on hunting,” County Administrator Dave Bretl said. “For example there are animals you can shoot all day and all night … so our county park hours would not apply to those lawfully engaged in hunting and trapping.
“The implication of that is conceivably somebody could be in there at 1 a.m. hunting raccoons and we would need to permit that,” he continued. “ … This may be a concern to surrounding property owners.”
County Chairwoman Nancy Russell encouraged the county board to refer the ordinances back to committee in order for residents adjacent to the proposed park to express their views on the matter.
“Park hours should be one hour before sun rise to one hour before sun set. In my opinion, we made a commitment to people who surround that park that there would not be any activity in that park at night,” Russel said.
“ … Frankly, I also didn’t understand that the hunting season on some of these animals, like skunks, is year-round. If people take advantage of this, we’re going to have hunting all the time. People who are there for recreation and the neighbors who surround the park are not going to get enjoyment out of the park,” she continued. “We were making assurances to the neighbors that there wouldn’t be any activity at night. They were concerned about teenagers having drinking parties in there and so on. We said that wasn’t going to happen. Now, apparently, if we agree to this it will be open at night. The very least we can do is notice the neighbors.”
Prior to the vote, Walworth County Director of Central Services Kevin Brunner noted hunting has been allowed on the property for decades.
“It has been allowed by the current owner for 50 years or so,” he said.
DNR grant
Last month, the Department of Natural Resources awarded Walworth County a $1 million grant for the purchase of parkland within the Town of Lyons.
According to Brunner, the state had $6 million in grants available this year. Walworth County’s grant application was ranked highest in the state.
For nearly a year, the county has been negotiating with Duane Clark, who owns roughly 200 acres of mix farm and parkland off Sheridan Springs and Short roads in the Town of Lyons.
Clark has been attempting to sell his property, known as the Copper Kettle Ranch, for the past few years. Clark is not simply giving the land away, however, it will cost the county $1.91 million for his 190.5 acres.
The land includes more than 9,000 feet of frontage along the White River.
The DNR grant covers half of the cost, but still leaves Walworth County on the hook for $955,000. The price tag has proven a tough sell for four members of the county board.
At present, the county has $300,000 saved in a fund dedicated to acquiring parkland, according to Brunner, and would borrow the remainder from its general fund. The county would pay the loan down in annual increments of $50,000, Brunner said.
Bretl included funds for purchasing the parkland in the county’s 2014 budget. The county board is not expected to approve the budget until early November.
In the late 1990s, the county board approved a plan calling for the buying of more land for parks, and identified land on the White River as particularly desirable, according to records.
County officials want to open the land to the public to provide picnic areas, a boat launch for canoes and kayaks, as well as a possible nature center in a barn already located on the property.
The DNR provided the county with a second grant of $43,172 to complete those projects.
Acquisition of the land in the Town of Lyons would be consistent with Walworth County’s Park and Open Space Plan, which calls for six major parks in the county, four of which are already in existence and include two state parks.
The four current existing parks include Big Foot Beach State Park, Whitewater Lake Recreation Area, Price Conservancy, all in the Northeast quadrant of the county, and Natureland Park in the Northwest quadrant of the county.
Walworth County holds the responsibility of the provision of the additional two parks, which as proposed would include approximately 375 acres in the western portion of the county along Turtle Creek, and 220 acres in the eastern portion along the White River.
