Jackson Township seeks to acquire reservoir property by eminent domain
JACKSON TWP — Supervisors voted to file proceedings to acquire several parcels of land from the borough of Evans City by eminent domain, with the hopes of turning the land into a public park.
“By taking this step, the Township Board of Supervisors believes that this property will become a true natural public amenity and one that Township residents, Evans City residents, and the community at large may enjoy for many years to come,” wrote the supervisors in a news release after Thursday night’s meeting.
The parcels that Jackson Township is seeking to acquire are located along Lindsay Road. They amount to 132 acres, including a lake and dam. While the parcels currently are owned by Evans City, they lie geographically within Jackson Township.
Last year, Jackson Township engaged in talks with Evans City to acquire the reservoir property in exchange for Jackson Township providing police services for Evans City. Evans City’s police situation was in flux at the time, as its partnership with Seven Fields was about to end.
These talks were officially broken off by November, as neither side could reach an agreement. Evans City ultimately reached an agreement with the Pennsylvania State Police.
“The Borough did not share the Township’s vision of turning the property into a public park,” wrote Jackson Township.
According to Jackson Township, the area surrounding the lake is currently closed and surrounded by padlocks and “no trespassing” signs.
Furthermore, the township expressed concern about the state of the dam, which is in need of major maintenance, according to recent inspection reports.
“The Township believes that its application of eminent domain and development of the property as a public park will maintain and advance the value of the site for not only Evans City residents, but residents of the larger community,” wrote the township.
Jackson Township has signaled that it intends to pay more than $1.2 million to Evans City for the land, which is the value indicated by an appraisal from Augus, which was commissioned by the township. According to the news release, Evans City would still be entitled to any royalties from the land’s oil and gas rights.
