PART 59—LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND PROGRAM OF ASSISTANCE TO STATES; POST-COMPLETION COMPLIANCE RESPONSIBILITIES Authority: Sec. 6, L&WCF Act of 1965 as amended; Pub. L. 88-578; 78 Stat. 897; 16 U.S.C. 4601-4 et seq. Source: 51 FR 34184, Sept. 25, 1986, unless otherwise noted. § 59.1 Applicability. These post-completion responsibilities apply to each area or facility for which Land and Water Conservation Fund (L&WCF) assistance is obtained, regardless of the extent of participation of the program in the assisted area or facility and consistent with the contractural agreement between NPS and the State. Responsibility for compliance and enforcement of these provisions rests with the State for both State and locally sponsored projects. The responsibilities cited herein are applicable to the area depicted or otherwise described on the 6(f)(3) boundary map and/or as described in other project documentation approved by the Department of the Interior. In many instances, this mutually agreed to area exceeds that actually receiving L&WCF assistance so as to assure the protection of a viable recreation entity. For leased sites assisted under L&WCF, compliance with post-completion requirements of the grant ceases following lease expiration unless the grant agreement calls for some other arrangement. § 59.2 Information collection. The information collection requirements contained in § 59.3 have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. § 59.3 Conversion requirements. (a) Background and legal requirements. (b) Prerequisites for conversion approval. (1) All practical alternatives to the proposed conversion have been evaluated. (2) The fair market value of the property to be converted has been established and the property proposed for substitution is of at least equal fair market value as established by an approved appraisal (prepared in accordance with uniform Federal appraisal standards) excluding the value of structures or facilities that will not serve a recreation purpose. (3) The property proposed for replacement is of reasonably equivalent usefulness and location as that being converted. Dependent upon the situation and at the discretion of the Regional Director, the replacement property need not provide identical recreation experiences or be located at the same site, provided it is in a reasonably equivalent location. Generally, the replacement property should be administered by the same political jurisdiction as the converted property. NPS will consider State requests to change the project sponsor when it is determined that a different political jurisdiction can better carry out the objectives of the original project agreement. Equivalent usefulness and location will be determined based on the following criteria: (i) Property to be converted must be evaluated in order to determine what recreation needs are being fulfilled by the facilities which exist and the types of outdoor recreation resources and opportunities available. The property being proposed for substitution must then be evaluated in a similar manner to determine if it will meet recreation needs which are at least like in magnitude and impact to the user community as the converted site. This criterion is applicable in the consideration of all conversion requests with the exception of those where wetlands are proposed as replacement property. Wetland areas and interests therein which have been identified in the wetlands provisions of the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan shall be considered to be of reasonably equivalent usefulness with the property proposed for conversion regardless of the nature of the property proposed for conversion. (ii) Replacement property need not necessarily be directly adjacent to or close by the converted site. This policy provides the administrative flexibility to determine location recognizing that the property should meet existing public outdoor recreation needs. While generally this will involve the selection of a site serving the same community(ies) or area as the converted site, there may be exceptions. For example, if property being converted is in an area undergoing major demographic change and the area has no existing or anticipated future need for outdoor recreation, then the project sponsor should seek to locate the substitute area in another location within the jurisdiction. Should a local project sponsor be unable to replace converted property, the State would be responsible, as the primary recipient of Federal assistance, for assuring compliance with these regulations and the substitution of replacement property. (iii) The acquisition of one parcel of land may be used in satisfaction of several approved conversions. (4) The property proposed for substitution meets the eligibility requirements for L&WCF assisted acquisition. The replacement property must constitute or be part of a viable recreation area. Unless each (i) The land was not acquired by the sponsor or selling agency for recreation. (ii) The land has not been dedicated or managed for recreational purposes while in public ownership. (iii) No Federal assistance was provided in the original acquisition unless the assistance was provided under a program expressly authorized to match or supplement L&WCF assistance. (iv) Where the project sponsor acquires the land from another public agency, the selling agency must be required by law to receive payment for the land so acquired. In the case of development projects for which the State match was not derived from the cost of the purchase or value of a donation of the land to be converted, but from the value of the development itself, public land which has not been dedicated or managed for recreation/conservation use may be used as replacement land even if this land is transferred from one public agency to another without cost. (5) In the case of assisted sites which are partially rather than wholly converted, the impact of the converted portion on the remainder shall be considered. If such a conversion is approved, the unconverted area must remain recreationally viable or be replaced as well. (6) All necessary coordination with other Federal agencies has been satisfactorily accomplished including, for example, compliance with section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. (7) The guidelines for environmental evaluation have been satisfactorily completed and considered by NPS during its review of the proposed 6(f)(3) action. In cases where the proposed conversion arises from another Federal action, final review of the State's proposal shall not occur until the NPS Regional office is assured that all environmental review requirements related to that other action have been met. (8) State intergovernmental clearinghouse review procedures have been adhered to if the proposed conversion and substitution constitute significant changes to the original Land and Water Conservation Fund project. (9) The proposed conversion and substitution are in accord with the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and/or equivalent recreation plans. (c) Amendments for conversion. (d) Obsolete facilities. all [51 FR 34184, Sept. 25, 1986, as amended at 52 FR 22747, June 15, 1987] § 59.4 Residency requirements. (a) Background. (b) Policy. (c) Fees. §§ 59.5-59.6 [Reserved]