U.S. House backs church’s land swap

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives sided with a small Garland County congregation earlier this month, approving a land swap between Walnut Grove Community Church and the U.S. Forest Service.

Republicans and Democrats joined forces on the measure, passing it by a vote of 379-3 on Sept. 12. All four of Arkansas’ Republican representatives voted for it.

The house of worship, which sits beside a small cemetery, was placed on federal land in 1938. Congregation members have offered to trade roughly 6 acres along the Ouachita National Forest for the 4-acre plot where they worship and bury their loved ones.

If it passes in the Senate and becomes law, the Walnut Grove Land Exchange Act will direct the U.S. agriculture secretary to proceed with the property swap.

Costs arising from the real estate transfer would be borne by the congregation.

If an appraiser determined that the church-owned 6-acre plot was less valuable than the government-owned 4-acre plot, the church would make a cash payment so that both sides receive “equal value.” In the event that the government was getting the better deal, no cash payment would be required.

The church chose its location because it bordered a small community graveyard that predates the U.S. Forest Service by several decades.

The initial building went up eight decades ago. A larger sanctuary was built around 1991.

Walnut Grove members have tried, for more than two decades, to obtain the property, a spot on the map along Arkansas 298. Each year since 2002, they’ve been required to request and obtain a special-use permit in order to continue worshipping at the site, north of Lake Ouachita and 12 miles west of Jessieville.

They’re now required to make annual payments to the Forest Service — roughly $4,000 over the next decade if the arrangement continues, the Congressional Budget Office said. In addition, any changes to the property must be approved by federal officials.

Now, the issue shifts to the Senate. U.S. Sens. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, and Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, have already introduced companion legislation to green-light the land trade.