Iola officials are throwing their support behind an effort to see the old Elks Lake property developed into a new state park.
Mayor Steve French read aloud a proclamation at Monday’s City Council meeting supporting creation of what would become LeHigh Portland State Park, consisting of the quarry and surrounding trails system.
The land is owned by Iola Industries, which has agreed to donate the 400-plus acres to the state in order for it to become a state park.
French’s proclamation kicked off a lengthy discussion after Iolan Ryan Sigg, a member of the Iola Elks Lodge, asked several questions about the deal, including the secrecy surrounding the plans, which weren’t revealed until the proposal was introduced to state lawmakers earlier this month.
“It just seems odd that a private, for-profit organization had to remain silent about their property, while working with a non-profit organization (Thrive Allen County) that appears to have an extensive involvement with State of Kansas officials,” he said.
Iola Industries and Thrive have partnered on economic development efforts since 2013, including most recently bringing Peerless Windows, G&W Foods and Eastgate Lofts to town. Iola Industries pays Thrive $20,000 a year for its economic development services, along with Iola, Humboldt and Allen County for varying amounts.
Sigg has been one of the overseers of the lake through the years as part of the lodge’s responsibilities to “maintain a good stewardship with the shared property,” he said.
“I hope that the future holds a positive outcome for the state park plans with the loss of local property taxes, utility income and many community events that have been held over the years,” he said.
If approved, the state park will mean an investment of several million dollars in grant funds for its development, said Lisse Regehr, Thrive CEO and president, as well as an Iola Industries board member. She was at the meeting and fielded Sigg’s questions.
If the plan for a state park falls through, Iola Industries could possibly put the entire property up for sale for development, Regehr said.
“It’s been floated,” by a minority of members, she told the Register Tuesday morning.
If the state park does not come to fruition, the lease for the lake will not revert to the Elks, she told Council members.
“If it doesn’t go through, it’s not just a loss of a lake for the Elks, it’s a loss of the trails system. It’s a loss of our biggest recruitment tool for the community.
“We will fight for this with everything we have,” she declared. “We understand how important this is.”
The secrecy was necessary, Regehr said, to ensure plans could move forward unimpeded.
“This is how economic development works. Until you’ve got things signed, until you have agreements, until you have moved forward with all entities involved, you don’t publicly go forward,” she said. “We’ve lost hotels over that. We’ve lost restaurants over that. We weren’t willing to lose this park over that.”
