Authorizes the county of Cortland to transfer ownership of Linear Park to Lime Hollow Nature Center, Inc., the official text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10283
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 11, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEBB  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT authorizing the county of Cortland to transfer ownership of Line-
   ar Park to Lime Hollow Nature Center, Inc.
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1. Subject to the provisions of this act, the county of Cort-
 land, acting through its governing body is hereby authorized to  discon-
 tinue  the  use  of  Linear  Park more particularly described in section
 three of this act, and to convey its interest in the  real  property  to
 Lime  Hollow Nature Center, Inc. upon terms agreed upon by the county of
 Cortland for use by Lime Hollow Nature  Center,  Inc.  for  park  and/or
 recreational purposes.
   §  2.  The  authorization provided in section one of this act shall be
 effective only upon the condition that the county of  Cortland  dedicate
 an  amount  equal  to or greater than the fair market value of the park-
 lands being discontinued towards the acquisition of new parklands and/or
 capital improvements to existing park and recreational facilities.
   § 3. The parklands authorized to be conveyed by the county of Cortland
 in section one of  this  act  are  located,  bounded  and  described  as
 follows:
   ALL  those certain pieces or parcels of land constituting the right of
 way and lands of the Branch Line of Railroad known as the Elmira,  Cort-
 land  and  Northern Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company situate
 in the Town of Cortlandville, County of Cortland and State of New  York,
 beginning at a line marking the division of the Town of Groton, Tompkins
 County  and  the  Town  of  Cortlandville,  Cortland  County at Chaining
 Station 3417+60, and extending generally easterly through said  Town  of
 Cortlandville to a point of ending marking the westerly line of a parcel
 of  land  containing seven hundred and fifty-five thousandths (0.755) of
 an acre, more or less, conveyed by Robert C. Haldeman,  Trustee  of  the
 Property  of  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad Company, Debtor, to Cortland Wood
 Products, Inc. by deed dated September 28, 1978; said  point  of  ending
 having  a  bearing of North two degrees thirty-eight minutes twenty-nine
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15677-02-6
 S. 10283                            2
 
 seconds West (N 2° 38'29" W), a distance of ninety-nine and twenty-eight
 hundredths (99.28) feet, more or less.
   The  area  of  land  intended  to  be  conveyed is twenty-one and four
 hundred seventeen thousandths (21.417) acres, more or less.
   § 4. Should the lands described in section three of this act cease  to
 be  used  for  the  purposes described in section one of this act, those
 lands shall revert to the county of Cortland for public park and  recre-
 ational purposes.
   §  5.  The  land to be transferred pursuant to this act and all struc-
 tures and facilities situated on such land shall  be  maintained,  owned
 and operated for park purposes by the Lime Hollow Nature Center, Inc.
   §  6. The use of such parkland and facilities to be transferred pursu-
 ant to this act shall continue to  be  made  available  to  the  general
 public  of  the state of New York, including all residents of the county
 of Cortland.  Where the availability of such facilities is limited,  use
 of such facilities must be determined by an equitable method.
   §  7.  In  the  event that the county of Cortland received any funding
 support or assistance from the  federal  government  for  the  purchase,
 maintenance  or  improvement of the parklands set forth in section three
 of this act, the discontinuance and alienation of such parkland  author-
 ized  by  the provisions of this act shall not occur until the county of
 Cortland has complied with any federal requirements  pertaining  to  the
 alienation  or  conversion of parklands, including satisfying the secre-
 tary of the interior that the alienation or conversion complies with all
 conditions which the secretary of the interior deems necessary to assure
 the substitution of other lands shall be equivalent in fair market value
 and usefulness to the lands being alienated or converted.
   § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.