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FS <br /> FRASER STRYKER <br /> PC LLO <br /> LAWYERS <br /> 500 ENERGY PLAZA <br /> 409 SOUTH 17TH STREET <br /> OMAHA,NEBRASKA 68102-2663 <br /> JORDAN W.ADAM TELEPHONE 402.341.6000 <br /> DIRECT DIAL:402.978.5239 TELEFAX 402.341.8290 <br /> JADAM(EFRASERSTRYKER.COM WWW.FRASERSTRYKER.COM <br /> April 2, 2016 <br /> Hall County Board of Equalization <br /> do Stacey Ruzicka <br /> 121 South Pine St. <br /> Grand Island, NE 68801 <br /> Re: Crane Trust's 2016 Tax Exemption Applications <br /> Dear Hall County Board of Equalization: <br /> I. INTRODUCTION <br /> On December 31, 2015, the Platte Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc. <br /> ("Crane Trust") filed thirty-two (32) Form 451 tax exemption applications for the 2016 <br /> tax year for all of the 32 real property parcels the Crane Trust owns in Hall County. <br /> On March 22, 2016, the Hall County Board of Equalization held a public hearing <br /> on the Crane Trust's tax exemption applications. During the hearing, the Board asked <br /> the Crane Trust to identify how much of its property it expects to lease in 2016. The <br /> Crane Trust did not know exactly how much property it would lease in 2016 and stated it <br /> would need to review its records to get a more definite answer. The Board agreed to <br /> postpone its decision on the Crane Trust's applications pending further information from <br /> the Crane Trust regarding the amount of property it expected to lease in 2016. <br /> II. FOUR OF THE CRANE TRUST'S PARCELS <br /> I do not think there is any dispute that four of the Crane Trust's 32 parcels are tax <br /> exempt. Those four parcels are 400218860, 400222582, 400218917, and 400311046. <br /> Parcels 400218860 and 400222582 are the location of the Crane Trust Nature <br /> and Visitor Center at the Alda Road Exit off of Interstate 80. The Crane Trust acquired <br /> these parcels in 2012. The former parcel has been tax exempt since at least the 1990s. <br /> The latter parcel has been tax exempt since 2006. <br /> Parcel 400218917 is where the Crane Trust's headquarters are located. The <br /> Crane Trust first sought tax exemption for this parcel in 2011. The Board initially denied <br /> tax exemption for this parcel, but after the Crane Trust appealed the Board's decision, <br />