The Lundin family, who have been working toward preserving their Midway property since 2023, might be abandoning their bid to establish their 119 acres of land west of the city as a conservation easement.“It is with a heavy heart that I write this. For the first time since my wife passed away, I have tears in my eyes — not just for my family, but for the future of our community,” Randy Lundin wrote in an Ask Midway Facebook group on Jan. 6. Lundin wrote about legal hurdles pertaining to water rights and the process of committing their land to open space efforts. The post does not specifically state that the family will not be moving forward with a conservation easement, but Lundin expressly warns against pursuing open space agreements in Midway.The Lundin family has been in the process of turning their 119 acres into conservation easement since 2023. In November 2024, the Wasatch County Council voted to approve $2 million toward purchasing the Lundin family’s easement against the advice of Deputy County Attorney Jon Woodard. At the time, siblings Michael Lundin and Nora Lundin were in the midst of settling a legal struggle with their brother regarding the property. Another lawsuit, one filed in July 2024 by Robert Fuller against the Lundin family farm, land and mobile home companies, further complicated the matter. The Lundin family’s attorney, Brandon Mark, requested an extension to seek more time for the conservation agreement to be initiated. On Dec. 3, 2024, the Midway City Council approved an additional extension to the end of the year, which would provide room for the Lundins to work around additional conditions required by the city that involve an emergency access route in the case of wildfires. Midway City Planner Katie Villani said that $1 million has been committed by the city with the remaining Open Space Bond Funds voted in after the 2018 election. Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson said in a response to Lundin’s Facebook post that she was surprised to see the Lundin family is “abandoning their pursuit.”“I thought this may be a good opportunity to clarify some apparent misunderstandings, particularly in light of Randy Lundin’s broad statement warning against pursuing a conservation easement in Midway,” Johnson wrote on the Midway City news page. Johnson addressed Lundin’s concerns regarding water shares as collateral for the $3 million advance payment requested by the Lundin family from the city and the county. This, she said, made it easier to work around the family’s legal battles. “The parties agreed that water shares, which were not part of the lawsuit, would be held in escrow for so long as the conservation easement is held in escrow,” Johnson wrote. Johnson said that the Lundin land itself could not have been used as collateral due to the ongoing lawsuit against the property. “Midway City remains committed to working toward a conservation easement on the Lundin property if the family wishes to proceed, with the understanding that the city simply cannot put taxpayer money at risk,” Johnson wrote. Villani said the city has not heard of an official withdrawal from the Lundin family. “They did have through the end of the year … that has since expired. But if they want to continue, I am pretty confident that the city would grant them another extension,” Villani said. Wendy Fisher, executive director of Utah Open Lands, has been working with the Lundins since the start of their bid two years ago. In 2024, she supported the Lundin’s efforts to secure Open Space Bond funding from the Midway City Council and the Wasatch County Council.In December, Fisher said that the process had been “more than complex” and required “patience as well as a bit of faith.”Fisher said that no official decision has been made at this point. “As far as I understand, and I’ve had continual meetings, everybody is still hopeful that we can come to a solution,” Fisher said. The post Lundin family clashes with Midway mayor on advancing conservation easement efforts appeared first on Park Record.