By Pete Aleshire
Payson Roundup
The comment period on the environmental assessment of the sale of 260 acres of federal land for a university campus in Payson expired last week, but the Forest Service continues to defer comments on the prospects for the timing of the sale of the land.
The Rim Country Educational Foundation (RCEF) raised money from the community to cover the cost of the assessment, which found no significant impacts when it comes to endangered species, air quality and other issues — but did find pottery scatters and the remains of ancient shelters in about 11 spots on the property.
Congress earmarked the parcel for sale more than a decade ago, but the Forest Service determined that it had to complete the environmental assessment before deciding whether to sell the land directly to the Rim Country Educational Alliance (SLE), based on an independent appraisal.
