By Jeff Niese

FAYETTEVILLE -- Joyce Richards wants to know how she lived in Fayetteville for 30 years without ever learning about 70 acres of trees and brush essentially untouched and smack in the middle of town.

"I didn't even know this was open to the public, but people used it," said Richards. "I think this is a good thing. It is something that needs to be saved."

Richards was one of about 50 people Saturday who hiked through the land on the east side of Mount Sequoyah. The woods include oak, hickory and numerous plant species. The land is for sale by the Mount Sequoyah Program Center at 150 N.W. Skyline.

The City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to give Mayor Dan Coody authority to negotiate a sale price for the land. Once a deal is set, it would have to be approved by the council to go into effect. The land was appraised last year for $1.3 million.

Saturday was a chance for council members to tour the site.

"I want to preserve the woods, but I want to do it the right way," said Alderman Lioneld Jordan.

Councilors Don Marr, Kyle Cook, Bob Davis, Brenda Thiel, Shirley Lucas and Jordan were at the hike, along with Coody.

The hike was led by Pete Heinzelman, who has worked to preserve the land. The land is surrounded on all sides by development. There are houses bordering the property on two sides. To the east is a Lindsey and Associates apartment complex, The Cliffs. Land south and west of the property is currently being developed.

The land is part of 400 acres of property given to the United Methodist Church in 1922 in a bidding war that brought the retreat to Fayetteville.

The Mount Sequoyah Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously last month to sell the land. Davis, who is a member of the center's board, said the center is trying to establish an endowment and needs the money from the sale to pay off debt.

The program center holds about 50 programs through the year at the 30-acre campus, which includes 52 buildings and can hold 350 residents.

Thiel said she agreed the land was beautiful but expressed concern about spending public money to buy it.

"It's the cost that bothers me," she said.

Coody has become a strong proponent for buying the land. At one point Saturday, he stopped to point out the age of the trees.

"This is shagbark hickory," the mayor said, wrapping his arms around the tree. "Shagbark is one of the slowest-growing trees in the forest -- it takes 10 years for them to grow an inch of thickness."

Coody estimated that the tree he hugged was about 12 inches thick.

"This is an old forest. This hasn't been logged since the turn of the century," Coody said.

Coody was questioned this week by aldermen about whether he has a conflict of interest because Coody's house is about 220 yards from the 70 acres. Coody has maintained that he has no conflict.

"I did not bring this forth," Coody said Saturday. "I would prefer this not be on the market. This will outlive everyone on the land right now. This is bigger than the proximity of one's land."

Heinzelman gave his vision for the land toward the end of the tour.

"There's a lot more potential for more trails. Off-road bicyclists love this place," he said. "One problem for the community is that the community doesn't know about it. It is a hidden treasure."

Until this week, Richards was one of those in the community who didn't know about the land. Now she does and she's adamant: It needs to be preserved, she said.

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