SHELDON S. SHAFER, The Courier-Journal
Some aldermen have reservations about Mayor Dave Armstrong's proposed swap of what they call prime riverfront property for Towhead Island - which the mayor wants for a nature preserve.
Members of some environmental and conservationminded groups also are wary of the idea.
Under the proposal, nearly 10 acres along the Ohio River shore, owned by the city, would be swapped for the 13-acre island, which is owned by Nugent Investments, an affiliate of Nugent Sand Co.
``I will need to be convinced - but it doesn't seem like a good deal to me,'' said Steve Magre, president of the Board of Aldermen. ``If I had to go on the data I've looked at so far, I am leaning toward not supporting it.''
He wants an appraisal of each parcel, as well as a survey to determine the exact size of each.
``We'd be giving away some of the most valuable property in the city,'' said Alderman Barbara Gregg. ``I wouldn't mind having Towhead Island, but not at that cost.''
When Armstrong announced the deal last month, he called Towhead Island the urban area's last sanctuary. He said getting the island in public hands would complement Waterfront Park and Armstrong's plan to convert Beargrass Creek near its juncture with the river into a recreational waterway.
The island also could be used as an environmental laboratory for schoolchildren, and as a ``primitive escape'' for activities like picnicking, Armstrong has said.
The administration ``is prepared to present a strong case for acquisition (of Towhead) to the aldermen. But we will not make our case in the newspaper,'' Bruce Traughber, Armstrong's development chief, said Friday. Traughber is overseeing the deal.
Alderwoman Tina Ward-Pugh has been briefed by Traughber on the deal and said she is inclined to support it.
``This might be the last opportunity to have or buy Towhead and to create an outdoor laboratory for kids,'' she said Friday.
She acknowledged, however, that she didn't relish the thought of giving up publicly owned property in exchange for Towhead, which is just off the shore upriver from the old Big Four Bridge at the Louisville Municipal Boat Harbor.
The aldermen plan to introduce a resolution Tuesday night declaring the riverfront land surplus and authorizing its transfer to Nugent in exchange for Towhead Island. The aldermen will send the resolution to committee for discussion.
A majority of the board's 12 members must approve the resolution for the deal to go through.
The aldermen say the administration faces a tough selling job.
Rick Northern, Nugent's attorney and spokesman, noted that Armstrong approached Nugent about the swap. From Armstrong's view, ``the island has real value as a nature preserve,'' Northern said.
Northern said Nugent has longrange plans to perhaps develop the shore land with low-density, upscale housing. Any such development would be subject to review by the city-county planning commission and the Waterfront Development Corp.
The deal also calls for Nugent to pass to the city about $100,000 a year that American Commercial Barge Lines pays to store barges on the north side of the island.
However, some of the aldermen aren't swayed by that. Their greater concern is the advisability of turning over key riverfront land in return for a rustic, largely inaccessible island.
``I think we ought to find something else to trade for (Towhead),'' said Alderman Dan Johnson. ``Right now I'm opposed to the deal as it is structured.''
Eight aldermen interviewed Friday said they want more information about the deal.
Of the eight, Magre, Gregg and Johnson expressed the strongest doubts, and Ward-Pugh the strongest support.
Aldermen Greg Handy and Bill Allison said they have numerous questions. ``I'm not sure if this is the best thing for the city to do,'' Allison said.
Board members Lawrence Montgomery and Cheri Bryant Hamilton said they have no opinion yet. George Unseld, Denise Bentley, Cyril Allgeier and George Melton couldn't be reached.
David Karem, president of the Waterfront Development Corp., said his board hasn't taken a position on the Towhead deal. He said it would be inappropriate to comment because any development on the riverfront land would require his agency's approval.
Meme Sweets Runyon, executive director of River Fields Inc., a riverfront watchdog group, said it hasn't taken a position on the deal either, but its staff is ``evaluating the situation. . . . It's an issue that needs further study.''
One citizen who has talked with Magre about his concerns is Mac McClure, a former assistant Metro Parks director who served for 24 years as executive director of Bernheim Forest. McClure called the proposed swap ``bad public policy.'' The island is slowly shrinking due to erosion, he said, and beavers have destroyed some of the trees on the island.
He also noted that construction of even limited housing on the land offered to Nugent might obstruct the view of the river. ``That land is in public hands now. Don't give it away,'' McClure said.
The Beckham Bird Club Inc. recently proposed a plan to turn part of the area near the mouth of Beargrass Creek into a nature sanctuary. Bob Johnson, a vice president of the club, said the club has not taken a position on the swap.
Johnson said the Ohio River has two special bird-viewing areas. One is above McAlpine Dam, especially near the mouth of Beargrass Creek next to Towhead, where ducks, gulls, geese and other waterfowl gather during the winter - enticed by the deep, still water above the dam.
A task force Armstrong appointed to study recreational uses of Beargrass Creek recently recommended public acquisition of Towhead.