UPDATED STORY
Earlier this week a judge ruled that the state of Missouri must sell part of the land it bought in 2016 with the intention of creating a state park along the Eleven Point River in Oregon County. I talked to Oregon County Presiding Commissioner Patrick Ledgerwood about the decision
A lawsuit filed in 2017 argued that 625 acres of the land in Oregon County were within a federal easement along the river, which restricted use only for agriculture. Mr. Ledgerwood said that he believed the park was never going to be a economic plus for the county
Tuesday Judge Steven Privette ordered the Department of Natural Resources to relinquish ownership of the acres within the federal easement. The property was acquired with funds from a cleanup and bankruptcy settlement involving lead mining company ASARCO. Some Republican Missouri House members voted to sell the land, saying money from the settlement should have been used to more directly help people impacted by the mining. Ledgerwood said the land would be better used for agriculture
The Department of Natural Resources declined to comment on the ruling, and a spokesman for the Missouri attorney general’s office said the office had not decided whether to appeal.
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