- Over two year long dispute about mitigation between Nueces County and Jones family finally solved
- Nearly 9 acres of wetlands in Packery Channel Park and Kleberg County dedicated to mitigation
- Will be funded by Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act Grant
The previous Nueces County judge gifted 15 acres of wetland to a developer. This was done without the approval of the commissioner's court. The primary issue is that when the Jones familydonated the landin 1949, they had one rule. Their one rule was that the land remain public.
In a cease and desist letter sent to the county in the beginning of 2022, the Jones family threatened to take back this land saying the county had violated the agreement.
"Well in the first place, this was an issue that happened before I got here and I talked a little bit about it in my campaign. There was some documents that were signed that didn't follow the proper protocol throughout the county and the way that we do things," Nueces County Judge Connie Scott said.
Mitigation refers to the restoring of wetlands that were previously destroyed. According to the Clean Water Act, wetlands must be restored, so that there is no net loss of wetlands.
The Nueces County Commissioner's Court and County Judge Connie Scott finally came to an agreement about what was to be done about finding a new site for the land that the county took back from the developer.
The Commissioner's Court agreed to set aside 8.76 acres of land in Packery Channel Park on Padre Island and on the Kleberg Property in Kleberg County.
"It's some property that the county owns that is in Kleberg County as well," Judge Scott said.
Judge Scott is making sure that the process is done correctly this time around.
“Doing it the proper way, it has to come to court, and it has to be voted on by the commissioners to move forward. They will take it and get the plan. Scott Cross with the Parks Board will make sure that the Army Corps of Engineers agrees to the plan and then they will bring it back to the court again," Judge Scott said.
Judge Scott said that most of the work regarding this project is already complete, and it is in the final phases after multiple years. The Nueces County Coastal Parks Board just has to finalize the mitigation plan and bring it before the court for approval one last time.
“It’s not a property that you really want to develop. We want to keep our natural habitat. We want to take care of the property around there, so this works as a perfect solution to all of our problems," Judge Scott said.
Funding for the conversion of the 8.76 acres of land to permanent wetlands will come from a grant called the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GoMESA).
There is no set date yet for when the mitigation work will start.
“It’s not a property that you really want to develop. We want to keep our natural habitat. We want to take care of the property around there, so this works as a perfect solution to all of our problems," Judge Scott said.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
