Confusion plagues Marion park board meeting on proposed land swap

MARION - Confusion surrounded a meeting of the Marion park board last night before members ultimately - and perhaps accidentally - voted to recommend that the City Council deny a proposal for a land swap involving a local park.

Nearly 30 area residents packed into the parks and recreation building for a public hearing on an exchange involving a 1.3-acre strip of land now occupied by three disc golf holes at Legion Park.

Some members of the public spoke against the land swap, stressing the importance of the disc golf course and a nearby sledding hill. Multiple residents mistakenly thought the hill would be lost during the transfer.

Near the beginning of the discussion, Trish Peyton, a Marion resident whose husband frequents the course, presented the board a petition with more than 430 signatures asking officials to leave the park as it stands.

“Don't give up this treasure,” she said. “Once the land is gone, it's gone forever.”

Doug Peyton told the board about the amount of traffic the course receives, noting that it draws disc golfers from all over the Midwest.

“We're trying to make it good for all levels of play,” he said. “We want everyone to play it. We need to meet with everyone involved and slow down.”

Jon Dusek of CeMar Holdings attempted to explain the proposed swap. His company is seeking to obtain a roughly 100-foot strip of land west of Thomas Park to build condominiums and office space.

Holes three, four and five of the Legion Park Disc Golf Course now occupy the tract in question, but Dusek said parts of each hole actually lie on land CeMar already owns. Officials intend to develop that property regardless of whether they receive the additional space in the trade, he said.

In exchange for the property, the city of Marion would receive nearly 3.5 acres of land near the park. Additionally, the city would get a smaller plot of land on 11th Street in Marion. That property would allow officials to complete a stormwater drain project that affects access to a nearby trail.

But beyond some residents' disapproval of the exchange, the overall sentiment throughout the meeting was frustration over a lack of communication and public information.

Many - including members of the board - expressed confusion over which areas the swap would actually involve. Officials eventually voted 3-2 against recommending that the City Council approve the proposed land swap. But immediately after the vote, some board members said they didn't even know they were voting to send a “no” recommendation to the council; rather, they said, they thought they were voting to hold off on a recommendation altogether.

Then, in a subsequent motion, the board voted unanimously to hold a special meeting on the matter at the same location at 4 p.m. June 27. The delay, officials said, would give developers a chance to show the public the site of the transfer and explain exactly what areas will be involved. During that meeting, the board could reverse its vote and recommend that the council approve the exchange.

Parks and Recreation Director Richard Fox said he wasn't surprised at the public's reaction. Officials could have done more to publish information about the sale and the areas it would affect, he said, adding that an 18-hole disc golf course - even if it has to be restructured - will remain in the area no matter what.

Fox said he thinks the project will ultimately be approved.

“Typically, when we take on any type of project, the end result is that it's gonna be in better condition that what we started with,” he said.