January 5, 2006

EDITORIAL

Green space fund gets needed lift

Village Council made a wise decision last month when it agreed to place the proceeds of the sale of land into the Village green space fund. The decision, which Council members agreed to unanimously, gives a needed financial boost to the fund and shows that Council is serious about its commitment to open space preservation.

Council’s commitment to preservation efforts has been questionable since 2004, when Council members made the perplexing decision to use most of the money in the green space fund to build a detention basin on the Glass Farm, which the Village owns. Though Council members have identified as a goal the promotion of green space preservation, there had been little action since then to promote the preservation goal — until last month.

Despite other competing needs for funding, Council members, who as a group have been in office for less than two months, essentially recommitted the Village’s support for preservation efforts, when they agreed to place $57,500 into the Village green space fund. That’s the entire payment the Village received from the sale of one acre of the Glass Farm to Phillips-Brown Homes, which folded the property into a housing development. The additional funds increase the total amount of money in the green space fund to approximately $96,000 — not a lot of cash, but it’s a start.

It’s important for the Village, as well as Miami Township, to have green space funds available so that the government can purchase property or help property owners buy easements on their land. The Village, for instance, could work with Tecumseh Land Trust to assist farmers in the township to secure conservation easements for their properties through available state and federal easement programs. The Miami Township trustees have committed farmland preservation funds in this manner.

Krista Magaw, the executive director of TLT, told Council last month that because of rising prices of land TLT is prioritizing which properties on the western side of the township, near Yellow Springs, are suitable for preserving. She and other representatives of the land trust have lobbied Council to rebuild the green space fund so that the Village can help TLT preserve open space on Yellow Springs’ western border, creating a greenbelt between this community and growth from Fairborn.

The challenge is having adequate funds available when they’re needed. Back in 1999, when Whitehall Farm was going up for auction, the Village had the funds, and Council committed more than $385,000 to the preservation effort. It’s going to take a long time for the Village to build up that kind of reserve again, especially since Council continues to face budgetary pressures.

Yellow Springers who agree that green space preservation is as important as job creation and housing growth should let Council members know that they appreciate the decision to set aside funds from the Glass Farm property sale. Villagers also should support other preservation efforts, including TLT’s 1 Percent for Green Space program, which is raising funds specifically for land preservation in this community.

The Village government is not the only source of funding for conservation efforts. But Council does play an important role in setting priorities not only for the government, but for the community. Council’s decision to rebuild the Village green space fund signals a renewed focus on preservation.