County opts out of horse park race -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 8/3/2005
Last Visited: 8/4/2005
"We are not willing to consider it," Bill Mooney, enterprise division chief for Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, said Tuesday."We don't have any land that meets their requirements; it's really very simple."
The state is seeking a park that would include a 5,000-seat arena, competition rings, boarding barns for more than 700 horses, extensive trails, a horse industry museum and conference facilities.
There had been some talk that the Woodstock Equestrian Center, which is currently being constructed along Route 28 in the Agricultural Reserve north of Beallsville, might be modified to fit the bill.However, Mooney said the land was unsuitable due to a lack of septic capability and highway access among other concerns.
"Our facility is intended to be a low-key equestrian facility," he said."We're not in a position to be attracting 5,000 people to that facility; it's not what we promised the community."
The planned arena at Woodstock will accommodate perhaps 100 people, Mooney said.There will be no on-site stabling.The park will be appropriate for local events, Mooney said, but not the regional or national events the state hopes will draw tourists and economic development on a large scale.
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"Sometimes you just have to say 'No,'" Mooney said.