5/14/2003

County OKs acquiring Tanglewylde

by Marcia Lane
The Palatka Daily News

After more than two years of committees and meetings, Putnam County commissioners by a 4-1 vote Tuesday gave the go-ahead to acquiring a 24-acre tract that will become a nature park.

Commission Chairwoman Nancy Harris called the tract "a long-lasting treasure" that will now be available to future generations.

State grants will make possible the purchase of the property, known as Tanglewylde, off West River Road, north of Palatka.

Price tag: $490,000.

The land was the homestead of the late Frances Brown Frank, a nature lover who was an ardent and vocal conservationist.

She had wanted it to be available to people so that they could enjoy how "Old Florida" once looked, noted Commissioner Linda Myers, who has been shepherding the measure through committees.

"There's not a lot of this land left," said Harris. She was referring in particular to the 500-foot-long bluff along the St. Johns River.

Harris, a Realtor, said while the price wasn't a bargain, it was still below the retail value.

"In my part of the county, riverfront sells for $1,000 a foot. And this is high bluff, which there isn't much of," said Harris, who lives in South Putnam. There is a total of 24 acres included in the package. A little more than seven acres are on the river side and 16 acres across the road.

Frank had left the land to the Florida Wildlife Federation. In turn, they have helped Putnam secure state grants to purchase the property.

Myers noted while anyone had been welcome to take part in meetings regarding the property, most participants were either friends of Brown's or neighbors concerned about what would happen to the property.

At several commission meetings, questions have been raised about a variety of specific issues, delaying a vote on the land.

Opponents of buying the land didn't go down quietly.

Ed Taylor, president of Save Rodman Reservoir Inc., continued to protest money being paid to the Florida Wildlife Federation. FWF has been a vocal opponent of retaining Rodman.

When Tallahassee attorney David Gluckman, who represents the wildlife group, said he had been told no projects opposing Rodman were planned, he was greeted with skepticism from Taylor and others.

Myers did point out that whether Putnam got the property or someone else did, the FWF would get money "and the money will still go wherever it's going to go."

In reply to a question from Commissioner Kevin Durscher as to whether there was a deadline, Myers pointed out "these (state) dollars do go away."

Commissioner Hermon Somers Jr. came out in strong opposition to the buy and cast the dissenting vote.

He reminded commissioners there had been a number of questions raised about how the FWF had spent money received from the Frank estate. He said he believed the organization should give the land to Putnam or maintain it as Frank had wished.

Myers said those points had been raised, but it was necessary to get past the "past history and hard feelings."

Gluckman pointed out $68,000 of Frank's residual estate had been spent to buy land across from the river property.

Myers told Taylor the commissioners had in the past all proved themselves friends of Rodman and would continue to do so. "I'm going to suggest to you this is not a Rodman issue," she said. "Let's move forward and do the best thing for Putnam."

Commissioner Brad Purcell said Brown's supporters and the planned Friends of Tanglewylde group would have a stronger voice under county ownership.