(town? officials
Sign Mar-a-Lagg

Club agreement

hilt-.1 

 

By SUSAN BEACH
Daily News tum Writer

It is official. Donald Trump
can accept memberships and be?
gin making preparations to open
The Mar-a-Lago Cluh.

Following an hourlong discus-
sion about Trump?s premise to
give critical features of the land-
mark to a reservation organiza-
tion, the own Council Tuesday

decided to sign the club agree.

ment prior to thedonatiun.

Mayor Paul llyinshy, Town
Council President Bill Weinberg
and Town Manager Bob Douay
signed the club agreement during
a break in the council meeting at
ii pm. Tuesday in the town man-
ager?s office.

The move was a switch from

the council?s stance turo Weeks
ago. Citing the estate?s preserva-
the council
said in July the town would not
sign the agreement until Trump
deeded historic features as pres-
ervation easements to an organi-
satien.
Tuesday the council was satis?
fied that Trump will establish
preservation easements. During
the meeting, Trump?s attorney
Paul Rampell reiterated Trump?s
intent to donate the easements
but said the process eculd take
several months. However, the
club agreement between the town
and Trump encompasses the con-
cept of preservation easements,
he Said. 

?The preservation of critical
features is of vital concern to
everyone,? Rampell said. ?We

 

?The preservation of;
critical features is
of vital concern tog
everyone. We recog?i
ntze how important:

it is.?

I

 

I

recognize .how important it isJ.
When this declaration of neat:

agreement is signed it places:
deed restrictions on the property:
which are the exact equivalent to;
preservation easements.? 
Rampell offered the ease.
meets to the National Trust for:
Historic Preservation in Wash-?
ington, DC. ?The National Trust:
is pleased to give this proposal:
our serious consideration and fi-
nal acceptance appears 
Stefan Nagel, general counsel-
and director of the trust?s ease-1'
ment program, wrote in a letter 2?
to Town Attorney John Randolph.__
Rampell presented a proposal .
at Tuesday's meeting that would:
give the preservation easements-
to town if they have not been
donated to an organization after;
one year. Rampell said he Was."

ready to sign the easement agreew;

ment as power-of?attorney for;
Trump. 

don?t know what else I can
do. I?ll jump through a heap orT
stand on my head. l?ll jump?:'
through a flaming hoop . . . I will 
do whatever ?you like but Mr.?

Please see MAR-A-LAGO, Page 53


1.


MAR-A-LAGO

from page 1

Trump?s position is that he has
signed a finalized contract and
the deal has been done," Rampell
said. 

The preservation easements
are not mentioned in the signed
agreement. The town will with?
hold a certificate of occupancy
for the club until the easements
are in place, town officials said.

?If there is one blade of grass
out of order there. will be no
certificate of occupancy,? said
Councilwoman Hermine Wiener.

Trump praised the council for
its thorough job.

?I?m extremely pleased not
only by the signing but by the
professionalism of the Town
Council. I greatly appreciate all
of their time and effort and know
they will be very happy with the
outcome,? Trump said through a
New York spokeswoman.

The finalized agreement goes
hand in hand with Trump?s Wifh??
draws] of a $50 million lawsuit he
filed against the town in July
1992 over the council?s denial of
his subdivision plans. Trump?s at-
torneys are in the process of
dropping the lawsuit. Trump
signed a general release to with-
draw the lawsuit when he put his
signature on the club agreement
last month. He told his attorneys
to withdraw the lawsuit after the
town signs the club agreement.

His: attorneys are in the process
of completing the paperwork.

Trump signed the agreement
and returned it to the town July
26, about six months after Ram-
pell proposed turning Mar-a-
Lago into a social club. The coun-
cil stalled negotiations last
month after Trump signed the
agreement, saying it wanted
Trump to deed the easements
before signing the agreement.

It