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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Entrance to Section 32 Debated

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    A 740-square-foot piece of property is the linchpin in a plan to gain access to a 680-acre open space for Edgewood.
    It is also the center of a human drama.
    Perri Jackson and her husband own the small piece of property needed for Edgewood to gain access to Section 32.
    Section 32 is a roughly 680-acre property south of old Route 66 and west of N.M. 344. It is owned by the State Land Office and leased to Edgewood.
    Finding access for public recreation has been an ongoing struggle for about three years, since the town took control of the area.
    To that end, the town is attempting to purchase less than an acre of land adjacent to Jackson's property for about $49,000, Jackson said.
    If that purchase, an existing 20-foot easement and a few other pieces of the access puzzle come together, Jackson said the town would still need a corner of her property, about 740 square feet, to gain access.
    Jackson said she would like to see Section 32 developed as park land. She said she worked for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for five years.
    "I'm pro-park," she said.
    Unfortunately, Jackson has a severe allergy to benzene. The condition has sent her into anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening allergic reaction, she said.
    She added that she moved to her present home in Edgewood to avoid benzene, which is in a vast number of things, from copier ink to propane.
    "You're literally the boy in the bubble," she said. "This land that I have is my whole world ... other than the hospital, this is where I am."
    Benzene also is present in car exhaust, which is why Jackson is concerned about the access road.
    "This is a major concern for me health-wise," she said.
    She doesn't want a busy road near her, but she has been trying to strike a deal with the town, she said, because she thought she didn't have a choice.
    In negotiations with Edgewood Parks and Recreation director Roger Holden, Jackson asked what would happen if she didn't work with the town.
    "The words eminent domain came out of his mouth, with continual reinforcement," Jackson said.
    Jackson added that conversations with Holden were always cordial and he was very polite.
    "No matter how nice you sugar something up, it is what it is," she said.
    Eminent domain is a legal process by which the town would take her land for the good of the general public.
    Jackson said she later called and sent e-mails to the town and to Holden to confirm that if she didn't deal with the town that her land would be taken anyway.
    The town has not taken official steps to take the land at this point, town administrator Jeff Condrey said.
    "Eminent domain is a very structured process," he said. "There hasn't been any threat from the town's perspective."
    Holden also said he wasn't attempting to threaten Jackson with eminent domain.
    "I cannot deny her her reality," he said, "my reality was different."
    There is some pressure to gain access to Section 32 on the town's side.
    A Feb. 5 letter from Jerry King, assistant state land commissioner, states that there are several people interested in dealing with the State Land Office to develop housing on the property.
    The letter states that although other opportunities might generate more revenue, "Due to the sincere interest of town officials and others in Edgewood in making this section 'recreational', we have chosen not to pursue any such requests."
    According to Holden, after going into closed session on Feb. 6, the town council voted to purchase the lot across from Jackson's property.
    Jackson said on Friday she was told that the town would not use eminent domain to take her property. Jackson told them she would not grant them an easement into Section 32.