The Mathews County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to turn over ownership of Williams Wharf to the Mathews Land Conservancy, vacating a road and public landing on the property. It also approved a conservation easement over the property that provides public access in perpetuity. These actions pave the way for the land conservancy to complete its plans for the site, including building a proposed boathouse.

Mathews County Attorney Richard Harfst explained to the crowd that packed the historic courthouse for the public hearing that the property was being held by the county as security for a federal grant, but that under contract, it was to be conveyed to the conservancy once the terms of that grant were fulfilled.

He explained further that the document’s public access clause had been modified to include a provision that spells out citizens’ right to walk, fish in designated areas, and have individual and family picnics during normal operating hours without having to...