A Kansas House committee is expected to have another hearing Monday on plans for the Lehigh Portland State Park.
Rep. Fred Gardner said the agriculture and natural resources committee is expected to consider the bill at 3:30 Monday afternoon. He hopes the hearing will be an opportunity to answer questions about the budget and logistics involved to convert the 138-acre lake and 200-plus surrounding acres of trails into a state park.
The area was once the site of the Lehigh Portland Cement Plant that was abandoned in 1971, and has since become a popular recreation site. Iola Industries gifted the property to the state in hopes of creating a state park.
Gardner introduced the bill on Feb. 16. About a dozen supporters, including representatives of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Thrive Allen County, testified in favor of the bill at a Feb. 20 hearing. Dozens more submitted written support, and no one testified against the bill.
But before the bill could come to a vote on the House floor, Gardner said, several people asked questions about the development plan. House leadership sent the bill to the appropriations committee, which kept it alive during “turnaround,” the point at which most legislation needs to advance to the next chamber.
The bill then was sent back to the agriculture and natural resources committee. If the committee were to again rule favorably on the proposal, it would be sent to House leaders to decide whether to bring it to a vote.
The deadline for a full House vote is March 29.
If the legislation were to pass the House, it would then be sent to the Senate for consideration.
Gardner said some of the questions he’s heard are about the budget and the development process, as well as what might happen with the existing trails during the transition period.
Those questions need to be answered by KDWP if the bill were to pass this session, he said.
“I still think it’s favorable,” he said. “It’s just a lot to do in a short period.”
