Lorton Patch Follow Up -- Meadowood Site is Safe According to Report

In the last week, two separate inspectors reviewed the barn at Meadowood Special Recreation Area and found the facility in need of repairs, but one of the preliminary reports indicates that nothing needs to be done immediately in the interest of safety.

Terry Lewis, Chief of External Affairs for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which owns and manages Meadowood, said that both inspectors found no imminent dangers, "Meaning something so dangerous that the barn would need to be closed," Lewis said.

One inspector, POZ Environmental based out of Pocono Lake, PA was hired by the BLM. The other inspectors were from Fairfax County, which performed the review at the urging of Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland. The POZ Report accompanies this article.

Lewis said the BLM plans to hold a public meeting in January.

"We'll kick off the new process and accept proposals from the public," he said. "We'd love to have a proposal in place shortly after that."

Lewis also said that in the interest of getting a collective view on the facility the BLM may conduct field trips to the site where interested parties can look at the structure together and develop on consensus on the best course of action.

"We're going to be as transparent as we possibly can," Lewis said.

The increased effort toward transparency comes as a response to the public outcry that followed that plans were under way to demolish the 46-stable barn and build a new 20-stable facility. Many felt that the BLM made decisions regarding Meadowood without advising the public.

Between now and the January meeting, Lewis said a company, hired by the BLM, will review the structural integrity of the barn. The report that follows will give the BLM an idea of what specifically needs to be done to repair the barn. At that point, cost estimates will be generated for the repairs. The federal money dedicated to for repairs at Meadowood is set to expire on September 30, 2011.

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Note:

For a look at all the documents pertaining to Meadowood residents can go to this web page: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html

On the map of the US that appears click on Virginia and then click on the first bulleted point that says: "Documents pertaining to Equestrian activities at Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area available for public review and download."