Politics & Government

BLM Releases Meadowood Barn Environmental Assessment

What does the future hold for the barn at Meadowood? Report outlines three options for future.

The Bureau of Land Management has released its Environmental Assessment of the barn at the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area. The 42-page document does not indicate a timeline for development, but outlines three options that will determine the future of the 36-year-old home to privately boarded horses, and therapeutic and lesson riding programs. 

BLM's proposed, or preferred, action would renovate the Meadowood barn within the existing footprint. According to the assessment, the existing framing and "structural components" would be used in the renovation. The parking lot area could also be renovated. 

The second option would be the immediate closure and demolition of the barn. Under this plan, the barn would not be rebuilt and the horse program would come to an end. 

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The third alternative would result in "No Action" (no maintenance at all) performed on the barn or the surrounding area. "The barn structure would eventually be closed to public access and activities that currently occur there would cease," according to the assessment. "In this event, use of the outdoor arena and pastures could continue."

Decision Time: The Future of Meadowood

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The public has two weeks to view the document before it is sent to the state director, who will make a final decision. When will that decision be made? 

"They can take as much time as they need to make a decision, and that decision does not lie in my lap," said E. Lynn Burkett, the outgoing manager of the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area, in a recent interview with Patch. "[The stables are] a form of recreation that a lot of people enjoy and we just need to make it safe and a good place for everyone."

The stables are currently home to 29 horses; 20 are used for boarding, four horses (owned by stable manager Allison Mills) make up the lesson-riding program and five horses are used for the Simple Changes Therapeutic Riding Program. 

Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland wants the barn to remain. "The impression I get, and Congressman Moran's office feels the same way, is that the barn is going to survive," he said. "I'm finally glad that we're through horsing around with these problems and that we're all going to ride away in the marvelous sunset," he said. 

The Condition of the Barn 

According to the EA:

  • Half of the stalls lack windows, and many of the windows are difficult to open or do not open at all.  
  • The dust suppression is in poor condition and requires frequent maintenance.  
  • The automatic horse-watering system has been turned off due to its poor condition. 
  • Due to the narrow design of the existing indoor arena, several horses have fallen while turning corners at a canter, putting their riders in danger of injury.
  • Some of the barn structure’s trusses are bowing, while others are severely rotten, indicating that their load has exceeded their designed capacity.  
  • Some of the barn structure’s beams are notched at their points of highest load.  
  • Some of the roof purlins are oriented in the wrong direction, causing them to be weaker than they were designed to be. 
  • Portions of the roof have come unattached from the supporting structure. 
  • Two-by-fours have been used to extend beams that were not long enough for their intended use.  
  • Many leaks in the building are allowing water to cause wood rotting and to penetrate electrical fixtures, making them unsafe to use.

The BLM Eastern States website has a form for submitting public comments on the document, which will be accepted through May 25.


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