The Budget and Control Board and the Joint Bond Review Committee approved this. In an agreement between Santee Cooper and the Forestry Commission, a five person Development Committee has been formed to oversee the land transactions. The Forester and Commission Vice-Chairman are appointed to this Committee. The Commission staff is charged to find replacement lands, with Santee Cooper to then handle the acquisitions. The land to be purchased must be appraised with the appraisal and purchase price to be approved by the Budget and Control Board s Property Management Division and the Joint Bond Review Committee.
All properties purchased are to be purchased at or lower than the appraised price.
The State Forester moved to family property at Wedgefield in Sumter County in February 1995. He acquired some property after his father s death in 1962. Since then, he has traded and purchased additional land adjacent to or close by land already owned in an effort to consolidate and expand his holdings. The Forester has no plans to sell any land but, instead, intends to establish a family land trust to hold this property. The issue is whether the State Forester has or will have a conflict of interests if he serves on the joint Forestry Commission-Santee Cooper Development Committee since he owns land near Manchester State Forest and since he intends to acquire another 60 acre tract.