Notes

It is possible that a land deal could end Fairfield Lake State Park remains unsettled
Solano Wealth Builders

he the power company which owns Fairfield Lake and surrounding land and includes Fairfield Lake State Park, confirmed on Friday it had a sale pending with an Dallas developer, but it remains open to continued conversations with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Texas Parks and Wildlife for decades has leased the property of the park from Vistra Corp., spending approximately $72 million on enhancements to trails, campgrounds as well as lighted fishing spots and other infrastructure. However, Vistra put the lake and parkland to be sold in 2021. Then, it entered an agreement for sale with the Todd Interests, a Dallas-based company. Todd Interests.

A sale on the property could result in Fairfield as well as Freestone County lose a traffic generator, and the public will lose the access to a recreation area, based on the plan of sale.

"In 2022, Vistra signed agreements with potential buyer, and we respect our agreements and promises," Vistra spokesperson Meranda Cohn told the press in a announcement. A buyer is legally entitled to take possession of the land as stipulated in the current contract, and we can't terminate it.

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Dak Prescott discusses the possibility of being named the Walter Payton Man of the Year
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott speaks about his nomination as the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year.

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Cohn went on to say "the people are still in the process of talking."

Arch "Beaver" Aplin, who founded the Buc-ee's convenience chain of stores, and who chairs the Texas Park and Wildlife Commission Aplin told the Tribune-Herald that he's been continuously in contact with the prospective buyer hoping to reach a compromise which will save the park. Aplin said that the commission has asked Todd Interests to assign its purchase rights to Parks and Wildlife.


Vistra asked $110 million for the site. Todd Interests is planning for large, luxurious homes and maybe a golf course Aplin told the AP.

Shawn Todd, founder of the company could not be at all on Thursday and Friday. The office of Shawn Todd stated they meet all day Friday.

"Vistra and Luminant are proud of our partnership together with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department," the Vistra press announcement states. "We are extremely proud that we have made this privately-owned land accessible to generations of Texans in the last 50 years -- longer than 25 years past the lease originally signed and without any expense to the state.


"We don't know for certain what final outcome might be However, we appreciate our relationship with TPWD and will keep exploring alternatives as they are requested."

According to the press release, Vistra and its predecessors granted the lease extension. "We have extended the deadline multiple times to satisfy TPWD's request for a chance to allow TPWD, as well as the purchaser, to consider alternative options."

It stated that Vistra has maintained regular contacts with the department of parks throughout "a lengthy process" which lasted more than 4 years. Vistra has publicly advertised the site for sale in 2021, and advised the state to submit a bid "but they never did."

Vistra in 2018 closed the Big Brown Power Plant for which Fairfield Lake served as a cooling reservoir. In the same year Vistra gave notice to Texas Parks and Wildlife that it planned to end the lease effective in the month of October in 2020.

Additionally, Aplin told the Tribune-Herald that he, along with other parties interested in the project met with Vistra in 2018 in order to talk about purchasing 1,800 acres, including the park, near the 2,400-acre lake. Aplin said Vistra did not want the purchase of a single piece.


Freestone County officials are trying to save their state park no matter what its past. county judge Linda Grant signed a proclamation Monday saying it is within the interests of the county that it remains accessible to residents and tourists too. It states that 80 percent of the 82,000 people who visited the park last year were tourists.

If asked by Aplin on the possibilities to use eminent Domain in order to purchase the property Aplin responded, "Please don't indicate that we're proposing this." It is a tool we can include in our toolbox, however the tool hasn't been utilized in a long, long time, and it's not something you should take lightly."

Eminent domain is a legal procedure that allows a government to take legal actions to prohibit personal property owners from having their property sold to the public. Compensation is paid to the owner of the property.

Vistra's press release focused on its collaboration in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the work they collaborate on with regard to various projects. They include Wildlife Restoration Programs that covers 10,000 acres of newly reclaimed Mine Land in Rusk County as well as a Largemouth bass Genetic Research Project at Big Brown Mine Site in Freestone County, and projects for birds that live in grasslands in Limestone as well as Robertson counties.


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