Summit County plans to use a $40 million U.S. Forest Service grant to close the $55 million purchase of the 910 Cattle Ranch.
It would be the county’s largest public land acquisition at 8,600 acres, made possible in part by a bond voters approved in 2021 for open space.
But the Jan. 28 Trump administration freeze on distributing grants and other funds set the timeline back by four months.
“We did have a stint of frozen funding. It was a scary time, but we have been released,” County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby said at an open house about the ranch March 18.
Multiple judges have blocked President Donald Trump’s January memo to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.”
But the 910 Cattle Ranch grant is still in federal, not county, hands. Kirby said the county will close the ranch purchase as soon as it gets the money.
She hopes that will be in August. That’s because the county must complete various due diligence studies and paperwork before it receives the grant award.
"It's not tied to a new year budget. It's already obligated funds, and it's going to be the hardest money to pull back," Kirby said.
Still, Kirby admitted the federal government is “probably capable of anything right now.”
She said her office has backup plans and an additional two years to fundraise if the grant falls through. The county must close on the ranch purchase by 2027.
Until closing, the county is leasing the land for $5,000 per month, half of which is credited back to the total $55 million purchase price.
There is also 4.5% interest, per year, accruing on the remaining $40 million balance, or an extra $150,000 per month.
Summit County made a $15 million down payment with the open space bond money in 2023 to secure the exclusive option to purchase the 910, which is located behind Jeremy Ranch and stretches into Morgan County.
Since then, the county has taken over management of the property, which the landowner has kept as a de facto wilderness preserve. The county has promised to ban hunting as part of the purchase agreement.
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