Some legal issues sorted out

$24 million still available for distribution

Yesterday’s meeting of the County Greenbelt Bank was essentially one for review. The second round of applications for rural grants was approved at the last meeting and were to go to County Council on Thursday night for final approval (They all were approved ) Staff also apprised the board of the status of previously approved applications. All seemed likely to move to completion shortly. The State Conservation Bank had also made grants to applicants in the Greenbelt Bank’s first round. The grants made by the County Greenbelt Bank would be reduced accordingly. The major grants by the State bank were $100,000 to both Salt Landing and Sand Creek projects.

The Chairman also told the board that he, Country Staff, and a representative of the Low Country Open Land Trust had worked to prepare a suitable document to protect the County and its grants should the recipient fail to honor commitments attached to the grants.

Staff also noted that with the adoption by the Bank of the Greenbelt Advisory Board’s advice on heritage sites, the grant applications forms has been modified accordingly

The Chairman also noted that of the $60 million that would be available for greenbelt acquisition and creation from a forthcoming bond issue ( and financed by the half cent sales tax ), $42 million was available for rural grants. So far about $16 million had been committed, leaving $26 million for future grants.