Fair board begins analysis

The Orange County Fair and Events Center Board of Directors voted Thursday to go forward with an environmental study to determine the future of the 7.5-acre Equestrian Center, which left horse lovers apprehensive but hopeful that officials won’t opt to convert the land to parking.

Horse enthusiasts, trainers and community members came out in force to lobby the board to save the equestrian center, packing all of the sitting and standing space in the Memorial Gardens building on the fairgrounds. The numbers may not be in the equestrian center’s favor, though.

Fair officials say that as attendance grows, parking is at a premium and the board needs to seriously consider the possibility of using the land to increase available parking space. The cost of building a structure, they estimate, is $53 million, while using the equestrian center’s land instead could create 2,000 new spots for $2 million.

In addition, the Fair and Events Center doesn’t get any money from the state and only makes $65,000 per year from leasing land to the equestrian center (or $200 per day), which is half the money it costs to rent the small room for board meetings, said Steve Beazley, the fair’s chief executive. Without growth, the fair cannot afford to maintain and improve its facilities, he said.

“We have a facility to upkeep and our infrastructure is crumbling and our promoters are telling us that buildings are on the tired side, and because we don’t get any money from the state it has to come from somewhere,” Beazley said.

Horse enthusiasts and community members said that the monetary concerns should not trump the priceless benefits of an equestrian center in the neighborhood.

Speaker after speaker took the podium and talked about the therapeutic value horses have for kids, the ways in which horses connect the community to its country heritage and the detriment of having an environment that’s completely concrete.

“Having grown up here and gone to college at Coast I’ve always felt the Equestrian Center is part of the fairgrounds. A lot of kids who want to ride won’t be able to if they take it out,” said Gerry Grant, of Costa Mesa, who occasionally rides at the center.

Some equestrian center advocates saw a glimmer of hope in comments made by a few of the board members who expressed a willingness to work with the center and make it more accessible to the community in exchange for keeping it around.

“I see [the decision] as the board making an effort to look at all possibilities, but at the same time they wouldn’t be doing this study if they weren’t seriously considering going forward with it. I think they’re open to leaving it an equestrian center if we prove to them that we’re an asset to the community,” said Nicol Shefmire, a professional horse trainer who stables 35 horses on the grounds and employs five people.

Shefmire personally runs a free program for at-risk kids who come and learn to ride, which she considers an asset to the community.

Other leaders also proposed ideas that could link the center with the community like bringing fair guests to see jumping exhibitions and incorporating horses into the experiences of school children who regularly come to the fair to learn about agriculture.

“I’ve just been inundated with offerings and ideas,” said horse veterinarian Janice Posnikoff.

Beazley emphasized that voting to start the study was not a negative judgment about the value of the equestrian center, but said that it is generally undesirable for the Fair and Events Center to have land reserved for one use year-round.

Another angle brought up at the meeting was the jobs that will be lost if the center is shut down.

Several trainers were among the crowd, and many said they would have a difficult time finding other work as more equestrian facilities in the area leave.

The study is expected to take six months and part of the process will be a series of community meetings to get the input of residents.

After that, the board will be able to make a final decision on whether the Equestrian Center stays or goes.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].