Meadowood Barn: BLM Lease Agreement Allows 30 Boarded Horses

The horse boarding program at the Meadowood Special Recreation Area will survive for at least another year.

Barn manager Allison Mills signed a one-year lease for the Bureau of Land Management's Stables At Meadowood last Friday and is no longer tied down to her previous contract, which limited the number of horses allowed on the property to 15, as the Bureau makes its long-awaited final determination on future barn renovations.

Mills was down to 15 horses at the barn, and has a waiting list of 34 horses. It will take several months to introduce the animals to their new home. 

"BLM has made every extraordinary effort to accommodate the community desire and the needs of the on-site businesses at the barn," said Mills to Patch. "And it's happened through an extraordinarily collaborative effort between (Mount Vernon Supervisor) Gerry Hyland and Congressmen [Jim] Moran and [Gerry] Connolly. Without their commitment, my company would have folded long ago."

• See: Two Horses Down: Meadowood Barn Struggles to Survive

Mills was a federal contractor for three years, and her contract stipulated that she could not replace horses at the barn if they were moved by their owners or died.

Hyland called the agreement a victory. "You couldn't find a harder worker than Allison, or anyone who is more committed to the community," he said. "I'm thrilled that BLM got it together and made a decision that would help her with this. It's the first definite thing that has happened there for a long time. It is a victory for her."

• See: Supervisor Hyland Cries Foul Over Bureau of Land Management's Progress on Meadowood Barn

"Meadowood is a terrific multi-purpose recreation area and the BLM is dedicated to making certain that as many people as possible have access to all that it has to offer," said BLM spokesman Bob Gillcash to Patch in an email. "One of our key areas of focus has been how best to maintain equine activities while reviewing potential options for the barn. The new lease arrangement accomplishes that while providing the community with greater access."   

The bureau is undergoing an internal review to determine the potential effects of sequestration, and the process has slowed the long-awaited decision on the environmental assessment of the barn and facilities. At issue is how to use $800,000 in deferred maintenance funds from the Department of Interior.

• See: Sequestration May Impact Meadowood Barn Renovation

Last summer, BLM closed the public comment period on its 42-page environmental assessment of the stables. Critics believe the three development options outlined by BLM could shut down three horse-related businesses at the barn. 

The development options were: 

• Renovate the existing barn on its current footprint, while closing the facility to the horses and horse-related businesses on the property during the renovation.
• Immediately close and demolish the structure.
• Leave the structure as is, but close the horse-related businesses on the property.

Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-8th) and Gerry Connolly (D-11th) sent a joint letter to BLM last summer requesting that horses remain at the aging barn during its renovation, thereby allowing the three businesses to remain intact.

The letter was sent to the State Director of the Eastern States Office and asked BLM to scale back the scope of repairs in order to lessen the impact on the animals.

BLM intends to conduct a public meeting when a decision on barn repair is made, but no date has been set. 

Click here to read more from Patch's coverage of The Stables at Meadowood.