By PETER HUSSMANN
Pete Scarnati, publisher of the Prairie City News, is going to come out with a piece in his weekly paper today dealing with the spat going on between John Parsons and the Jasper County Consevation Board over the development of farm ground donated to the county more than five years ago.
Scarnati, however, took a little different tack then just the "he said, she said" stuff that's been going on in the letters and stories on the topic in the local media by scouring the records of what actually took place, a basic tenant of the craft. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.
Lucky for me, Scarnati shared with me some of the things he found in his search. Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, some information being presented doesn't match with the record or has been left out of the story.
It starts in October of 2006 when Terry Rickers, then an attorney with Matthias, Campbell, Tyler, Nuzum and Rickers, informed the county of his client's wish to bequeth a piece of farm ground to the county. As executor of Lillian Johnston's estate, Rickers notified County Auditor Dennis Parrott of her wishes and provided a copy of her will.
"Jasper County is a beneficiary under the Last Will and Testament of Lillian Johnston," the Oct. 17, 2006-dated letter states. "The County is bequethed a tract of farmland located south of Prairie City. The bequest carries the stipulation that the County must use the land for a park or wildlife refuge. The County must decide whether or not it wishes to accept the land with that stipulation. According to Lillian's Will, the County has 120 days from the date that the Will was admitted to probate to make its decision. The County should notify me of its decision, in writing, no later than 120 days after the date the estate was opened (October 2, 2006).
The record also contains a copy of the will. In it, Johnston states, "I give to Jasper County, Iowa, the following described real estate for use exclusively as either as a park or wildlife refuge, and if the County cannot or does not accept the real estate for use as a park or wildlife refuge, then I give this real estate to the United Methodist Church of Prairie City, Iowa, to use or sell as it may see fit. The County shall indicate in writing whether or not it accepts this bequest (subject to the foregoing conditions) within one hundred twenty (120) days of the date that this Will is admitted to probate."
All this information can be found contained with the Jan. 17, 2012 Jasper County Board of Supervisors agenda.
Here's where some memories have appeared to have faded.
The Nov. 21, 2006 supervisor agenda has an agenda item asking the board to accept the farm ground from the Johnston estate. The minutes from that meeting show that it was moved by Bill Ward and seconded by Denny Carpenter to approve the acceptance of the tract of farmland. Max Worthington also voted to accept.
Discussion of the farm ground site came up again in early 2007. At the March 21, 2007 meeting, the supervisors - who now consisted of newcomers Parsons and Rick Tiedje, along with Worthington - were asked for permission to deposit land rent from the Lillian Johnston Estate into the Conservation Land Acquisition Trust Fund.
The minutes from that meeting indicate the board agreed to allow that the $11,160 yearly rent being received at the time from the Johnston estate ground "be deposited in a trust fund to be used for the sole purpose of developing that piece of property."
I'm not certain what else Mr. Scarnati may have uncovered but I look forward to reading his piece. He's obviously shed some new light on the situation.
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