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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, August 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 27, 2004 Deed error slows land swap By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune A decades-old paperwork error could delay progress on a proposed three-way land swap involving the city of Medford, the Salvation Army and Cascade Christian School. The complicated deal is aimed ultimately at creating ball fields for the school, a community center for the nonprofit agency and public space for the long-awaited Liberty Park in northwest Medford. At issue is authority over nearly 7 acres of city park land off Table Rock Road, property desired by representatives of the church-owned school. The land was bought by Jackson County officials with federal Land and Water Conservation funds in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although the county deeded the property to the city of Medford in 1984, the title was never changed on federal parks records, said Gloria Shinn, project manager for the National Parks Service in Seattle. Advertisement "It’s an administrative detail," she said. Still, that detail is preventing Medford officials from moving forward with a request for a federal "conversion" that would allow the city to trade one section of park land for another. The conversion has to be initiated by the project sponsor, officials said. "Our info is that it remains Jackson County’s even though they deeded it to the city," said Jef Faw, deputy city manager. "To me, that’s the first step." County administrator Sue Slack said Monday she was looking into the matter. "My goal is not to be the project sponsor," she said. Under the plan now in negotiation, Cascade Christian representatives would spend up to $300,000 to buy parcels of privately owned land near the Salvation Army’s Central Avenue thrift store. They would trade those properties to the Salvation Army in exchange for land the nonprofit owns near Alice and Edwards streets in the Liberty Park District. The Salvation Army tentatively plans to build a new community center in the area, board member Bill Maentz said. Once Cascade Christian acquired that land, school organizers would seek to trade the property for the city’s park property on Table Rock Road. The church-sponsored school hopes to establish a new school on donated land near there. All of that, however, is dependent on a request from the right entity, said Marilyn Lippencott of the state parks department. Once the request is made, the deal is by no means certain, she said. Federal law requires that the property be traded for land of equal or greater fair market value with the potential of similar or greater use, Shinn said. "When we look at use, we look at magnitude," she said. "If you had a parcel acquired for high density use and you come in with a parcel that can’t support high use, it probably won’t be approved." In this case, the Table Rock land was bought as a potential Bear Creek Greenway location, a passive, open use. It’s now valued at about $227,000, according to county assessment records. By comparison, the Liberty Park land might support higher density use. The 1.13-acre parcel is valued at about $500,000, records show. The discrepancy in value could be a concern, Shinn said. But Melissa Stiles, a representative for Cascade Christian, said she was confident the issue could be resolved. "It is our understanding that the law can be interpreted as meaning if there’s inequity in size or value, it can be made up in other ways," Stiles said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times