One of the county’s most popular outdoor attractions may be expanding in the near future.

The Cass County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of more than 30 acres of land on the north end of the county’s Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, located in Vandalia, during its meeting Thursday night in Cassopolis.

The county has agreed to spend around $138,000 to acquire the 2,000 square-foot property, with funds for the purchase coming from their delinquent tax fund.

The planned acquisition comes at the behest of the Cass County Parks and Recreation Board. If approved by the seller, the land purchase will give the park some additional frontage near M-60, said Parks Director Scott Wyman.

The county will be buying the land from the Disterheft family, who owns the land located next to the park. The farmland was formerly owned by Don Disterheft, who had sold the parks department some of his land around 15 years, which was used to build a 3.5 mile trail inside Lawless Park, Wyman said.

“During those negotiations, he mentioned he had another piece of property we may be able to use one day,” Wyman said. “We had a handshake agreement that we would have the right of first refusal should he sell the land. Upon his passing two years, his family lived up to that commitment.”

Disterheft’s estate approached the county about the strip of land a few weeks ago, as they are planning on auctioning off the rest the farmland, Wyman said.

“The entire family has been so supportive over the years in dealing with the parks department, from Don to everyone else,” he said. “Like so many other instances in the past, we took the opportunity to work with the family on this.”

The deal won’t be finalized until 30 to 60 days from now, Wyman said. Should the purchase be approved, the department plans on adding the property to the 200 acres of Lawless land it leases out to local farmers, the director said.

“It will start generating funds for us right away,” he said.

In the future, the 30-acre strip could be utilized for a number of other purposes, including as a camping area or trails. Such plans would have to added to an amended master plan for the park, though, Wyman said.

The commissioner’s approval of the purchase was the second good news the director received during last week’s meeting. Earlier that evening, the board approved a request to increase the hours of the park department’s sole maintenance position, from part time to full time.

“A lot of positive things are happening at the parks, and we’re hoping to keep that momentum going,” Wyman said.