by David Ball
Staff Writer
Members of the North Florida Equestrian Society and City contractor SMG have reached a preliminary agreement over use and management of the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. However, some questions remained when the groups presented their proposal to City Council members Tuesday.
The two-page written agreement is not legally binding but represents “good faith” measures, according to Equestrian Society board members Peggy Fuller, Susie Scott and Betty Griner and SMG’s Equestrian Center Facilities Manager Lesa Williams.
“We’re getting there,” said Fuller. “I’d say it’s a negotiation. But it’s a good start.”
This was the third time the groups met with Council Member Jack Webb and Council President Daniel Davis, and the discussion was decidedly more civil than the last meeting where some Equestrian Society members said they were pressured to leave the issue at bay.
“It’s incumbent on us to act appropriately and work together,” said Webb. “I’m willing to take a leap of faith on this.”
The crux of the agreement pertained to use of the facility by local civic and nonprofit groups, which the Equestrian Society members said had been shut out by SMG’s high pricing structure and preference for booking large events.
SMG, through a City contract, manages the center and five other public facilities, including Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and the Osborn Center.
According to the agreement, “Civic and nonprofit organizations located in Duval County have the opportunity to reserve for their use the two outdoor competition arenas for both weekdays and weekend days at no charge for educational and/or approved not for profit events based on availability of the Center.”
However, the “availability of the center” spurred a request by Equestrian society members that SMG provide a list of available dates some 30 to 60 days in advance. Williams said it would be difficult to block out dates, particularly weekends, that far in advance at the expense of missing large, revenue-generating bookings.
“It may be that a weekend event only needs Saturday or Sunday, and we can book (the other day for the nonprofit) six months out,” she said. “It would be difficult to give a window unless we were willing to give up weekend days to nonprofit events.”
Davis likened the arrangement to an “open gym night,” where the community has access when the leagues or other first-priority users aren’t there.
Fuller said her group will rely on constant communication with SMG to announce what days are available when they become available. She said community groups can contact members of the Equestrian Society to help facilitate events at the Center.
“We’ll act as a go-to with the community,” she said. “There are a couple things that will help us monitor what goes on between the Equestrian Society, the City and SMG.”
Also at the meeting, Kelley Boree, deputy director of the City’s Recreation and Community Services Department, gave an update on the status of the expansive trail system that runs around the facility. She said officials from the State Division of Forestry areworking to install 500 signs along the trail corridors and should be finished in a few months. Part of the group’s agreement requests monthly updates on the projected opening of the trails. The agreement also calls for:
• The current policy allowing patrons to reserve practice time at $15 per horse will be expanded to include night use of the inside arena as SMG scheduling permits. This also extends to groups of more than 10.
• The City will work with organizations to obtain mayoral rent forgiveness ($750 maximum) and Tourist Development Council funding if the event meets proper criteria. Information on these programs will be available through the Equestrian Center’s Web site.
• The North Florida Equestrian Society will receive use of the main arena, two outdoor arenas, 100 stalls and warm-up areas at least one weekend per year for fundraising only. Of the proceeds, 75 percent would go to the City for the private/public partnership to support the capital campaign and 25 percent will be retained by the Equestrian Society for administrative and other needs.
• The agreement will be re-examined by all parties in one year, and SMG and the Equestrian Society will survey local user groups to gain feedback.