37-1803.

Act; purposes; Game and Parks Commission; powers; legislative intent; contracts; conflict-of-interest provisions.

(1) The purposes of the Water Recreation Enhancement Act are to administer and carry out the following projects:

(a) Marina construction projects to expand water access and recreational opportunities at Lake McConaughy and the Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area; and

(b) A project to increase access to and the enjoyment of Niobrara State Park through the construction of an event center and lodge.

(2) The Game and Parks Commission is granted all power necessary to carry out the purposes of the Water Recreation Enhancement Act, including, but not limited to, the power to:

(a) Enter into contracts, including, but not limited to, contracts relating to the provision of construction services, management services, legal services, auditor services, and other consulting services or advice as the commission may require in the performance of its duties; and

(b) Enter into public-private partnerships to carry out the purposes of the act.

(3) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Game and Parks Commission engage local stakeholders as the commission carries out the projects authorized in this section.

(4) It is also the intent of the Legislature to encourage political subdivisions that hold a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license and that own land in and around the projects authorized in this section to enter into contracts with public and private entities for the use, lease, and purchase of such land whenever possible in order to increase economic development and recreational opportunities, particularly when covenants, easements, and other instruments can ensure such economic development complies with the rules and regulations of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(5) No member of the Game and Parks Commission or any employee of the commission shall have a financial interest, either personally or through an immediate family member, in any purchase, sale, or lease of real property relating to a project authorized in this section or in any contract entered into by the commission relating to a project authorized in this section. For purposes of this subsection, immediate family member means a spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, or grandchild.