Council Approves Oxbow Wetlands Exchange
By Tim Chitwood, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
Feb. 6–The future of Columbus State University’s Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center appears to have been secured by a land swap Columbus Council approved Tuesday night.
The even exchange of wetlands off South Lumpkin Road will transfer to the Columbus Water Works 106 acres of city-owned land, including the so-called “Beaver Pond” immediately behind the learning center. That pond has become a laboratory for lessons on water ecology taught by learning center staff.
The city had planned to use the pond for dumping “inert” waste such as tree limbs and grass clippings. CSU representatives said that would have made the pond unsuitable for their use and could have led to the learning center being shut down.
In the deal Columbus Council approved, the city will swap two parcels of land — 76 acres south of the science center that include Beaver Pond and 30 acres to the north that encompass another wetland — for 106 acres farther south that the Water Works owns. That land also includes a pond, a site that was set to be a marina.
City administrators said a portion of that pond could be used for dumping inert waste without interfering in the marina project. The city also plans to construct a composting site for disposing trees and grass.
The land swap still must be approved by the city’s Board of Water Commissioners, which meets Monday. Water Works President Billy Turner said he expects no objections.
After the even land exchange of 106 acres each, the Water Works will work out a long-range agreement with CSU so the learning center can continue teaching area students about water ecology and wildlife. CSU has wanted to hire a full-time director for the center, but it has held off until the conflict over Beaver Pond was resolved.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council also approved the purchase of 8.25 acres at 3801 S. Lumpkin Road, formerly the site of an Elks Lodge. The city will pay $629,814 for the property, including closing costs, with funds from a 1999 sales tax. Of that tax revenue, $10 million was to be devoted to property acquisition and infrastructure such as water and sewer lines in the Oxbow area.
The land the city’s buying is just north of the environmental learning center and close to the new Fort Benning Infantry Museum that’s now under construction.
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