JACKSON, Wyo. — Garaman Park’s open grassy area, a local favorite with its access to Flat Creek, will soon become an official part of the Town of Jackson. On Monday, Sept. 9, Town Councilors gave staff approval to begin the annexation process of Russ Garaman Park into the town’s limits.
During the regular Town Council meeting, Jackson Attorney Lea Colasuonno explained that Russ Garaman Park is owned by the Town but it lies outside of the Town’s corporate boundaries. As a result, the park does not comply with the town’s municipal code, laws and the Jackson Police Department’s jurisdiction. The Chief of Police and the Teton County Sheriff’s Office have both requested that Garaman Park be annexed into the Town.
After a resident expressed concern with potential “near and long-term downsides” for the annexation, Colasuonno told the Council that there are not any long term risks associated with the annexation of the park.
“In this specific situation, we don’t see any downsides or risks,” Colasuonno said. “This is a piece of property that the Town already owns. The Town already contributes 46% to its operation and maintenance. It is a natural, continuous park surrounded by the rest of town on three sides with the forest on the other. It is a public park that people go to believing that it is a part of Jackson. If there is a disturbance, people naturally believe that the Jackson Police Department right over the bridge from Crab Tree Lane is the responding agency.”
According to the staff report, after the park’s annexation, basic services will become available to the area including police services and Municipal Code application. There will be no fiscal impacts since Garaman Park is already owned by the Town and maintained by the joint Parks and Recreation Department, according to the Town. The Jackson Police Department does not anticipate appreciable cost increases when annexation occurs.
“The area is a designated park that is not subject to urban development, but should the area ever be developed further, it would constitute a natural, geographical, economical and social part of the Town since it is owned by the Town and is adjacent to the Town’s current corporate limits,” Town said in the staff report.
Staff will now initiate annexation proceedings according to Wyoming statutes.
