by Michael Howell
The Ravalli County Commissioners last week approved the use of Open Land Bond funds in the purchase of 21 acres of land near Victor for the purpose of establishing a community park. The property is currently owned by the Groff Family, LLC, which consists of Ann Groff and Kay Clevidence who are sisters, along with Kay’s adult children, Ryan and Sara. Portions of the park have been in the family for 155 years, stretching over five generations. Together they want to preserve the legacy of the land while contributing a public amenity for their community by converting a portion of the farm property into a park. The Bitter Root Land Trust (BRLT) will be the owner and manager of the property, holding title until a suitable public entity capable of policing and maintaining the property is found.
According to BRLT Executive Director Lauren Rennaker, the proposal to establish the park is the outcome of over five years of conversation with the Groff family. The proposed 21-acre park is contiguous to the 472-acre Groff Park Conservation Easement and within three miles of the 160-acre Groff Timber Conservation Easement, both of which are in the process of being established. The proposed park area is primarily comprised of an open woodland hill and sub-irrigated grassland crossed by irrigation ditches. Sweathouse Creek and its riparian habitat is directly south and shares a border with the proposed Groff Park property.
A map of the proposed Groff Park located next to the town of Victor. The park is within walking distance from town.
BRLT Land Director Melissa Odell summarized the conservation values of the deal, stating that it would provide recreational opportunities for the community by establishing an accessible community open space allowing for hiking, running, wildlife viewing, picnicking, cross-country skiing, snow sledding, and other forms of non-motorized recreation.
Odell said the mix of sub-irrigated and dry agricultural grasslands, several irrigation ditches, and an open forest hillside with a grassy understory also provides habitat known to support many wildlife species such as Great Blue Herons and other birds. The property is also within elk and mule deer winter range. She said the property contains some potentially hydric soils, so opportunities for both wetland and grassland habitat restoration projects are present, as well as potential for educational outreach highlighting restoration, natural habitats/wildlife, and agricultural and cultural histories of the area.
The park’s open spaces provide fantastic views. The property is visible from Chief Victor Camp Road, 5th Avenue, Pleasant View Drive, Sweathouse Creek Road, and Highway 93. The Victor Cemetery is directly adjacent to the north and will provide recreation opportunities for cemetery visitors and the Victor community.
A view from the hill in the in the proposed Groff Park next to the Town of Victor where children will be able to sled in winter. The 21-acre park will also include walking paths and other recreational amenities.
The property includes irrigation ditches that serve agriculture producers and others in the Victor area so that protecting this land as open space helps avoid conflict over water and irrigation maintenance in the future. While the land contains some soils of agricultural importance, as designated by NRCS, significant future agricultural use for production is not envisioned. However, BRLT plans to coordinate seasonal grazing for vegetation and weed management with local cattle operators who have for years stewarded this property and the adjacent Groff Farm.
According to Rennaker, the BRLT has 25 years of collective experience in owning and managing land and she is confident in their ability to maintain the park until a suitable public entity can be found to own and manage it. She noted their success in establishing Skalkaho Bend Park, Steve Powell Park and the C. Ben White Fishing Access Site.
BRLT was seeking a donation of $161,225 from the Open Lands Bond program to cement the deal. The appraised value of the property is $579,000. Add to this the costs of acquisition, including the cost of appraisal, legal review, survey and boundary adjustment, hazardous materials review, title commitment/policy, OLB application, closing fees, printing, mineral rights report, and BRLT facilitation, and the acquisition value of the total project comes to $620,255.
Matching contributions to cover that cost are $20,000 from the Rapp Family Foundation, an in-kind donation from BRLT of $10,000 and a $429,000 donation in value from the Groff family, which equals a total matching contribution of $459,000, leaving $161,225 (26% of project costs) to be covered by the Open Lands Bond program.
The Open Lands Board approved the deal on a 9-0 vote.
One concern expressed by Commissioner Jeff Burrows was the ongoing operation and maintenance costs of having a community park over and above the acquisition cost. Another concern expressed by Commissioner Greg Chilcott was the fact that unlike the other public acquisitions that have benefitted from the OLB program, such as the Skalkaho River Park, the Steve Powell Park and the C. Ben White Fishing Access Site, this acquisition was going to be held by the BRLT “until a suitable public entity could be found to take over and manage the property.” The Victor Park Board submitted a letter of support for the project but said it was not able to take on the full maintenance and operation costs.
Odell explained that BRLT has prepared a budget summary for all phases of the park project which included $620,225 acquisition cost, plus an additional $300,000 for site development, and $175,000 for an operation and maintenance fund. She said they had already begun fundraising efforts to raise the $1.1 million in projected costs and have raised about half of it. It will include further grants and private fundraising to meet the additional costs should they get the OLB grant and make the acquisition. She said that BRLT was prepared to take on the property and raise the additional funds for as long as it takes to find a suitable public entity to take over. She said this kind of arrangement was a first for Ravalli County but that it has been done successfully by four other land trusts operating elsewhere in the state and she was confident that BRLT could handle the operation successfully as well. She said that they have liability insurance and there are state laws that protect landowners from liability as long as there is no charge or gross negligence involved.
One of the landowners, Ryan Clevidence, noted that his family has had ownership of this land for over a hundred years and that they are not letting go of it lightly.
“The only reason that we would consider doing so would be for something like this,” he said. “The Victor community has meant so much to my grandparents. For generations we have cherished this land and my family felt that there is no better way to honor their memory than to share this special place with the whole valley.” He said the project is a little outside the norm but that his family would not move forward with this if they did not have full confidence in Lauren, Melissa and the whole Bitter Root Land Trust.
“Their dedication gives us confidence that this land will be cared for and cherished in the way that it deserves,” said Clevidence. “My hope is that this park will become a place where this community can experience wildlife and enjoy sledding like I did growing up and enjoy and take in the beauty that this land has to offer.”
Annie Bernauer, a neighbor to the property and a member of the Victor Park District Board, attested to the fact that people coming out of Victor walk along Chief Victor Camp Road throughout the year to get out of town and enjoy nature.
“This is a huge opportunity for the people of Victor to get out and have access to this beautiful open space for future generations,” said Bernauer. She is also a Master Naturalist and a Master Gardener and has a list of 68 birds that she has seen in that area. She said she has seen deer, elk and even moose using the property as well as bears and mountain lions. She said that the Victor Park Board was very interested in the project but does not have the funds to handle it at this time, but that if funding could be made available, they have a lot of interest in being involved with the park.
The commissioners also heard from other members of the Victor Park District Board, the Bitterroot Birding Alliance (formerly Bitterroot Audubon), the Victor Cemetery Association, the Ravalli County Park Board, Heart of the Rockies Initiative and several other individuals, all expressing their support and willingness to be involved through their own volunteer efforts to see this project through to completion.
The commissioners unanimously approved of the Groff Park Project at the funding amount requested on the condition that the taxpayer interest in the project is protected by the appropriate legal mechanisms during and following the potential conveyance of the property to some public entity.
