Monday, April 8, 2013
Sequestration has impacted them, and more redevelopment options are needed.
The Bureau of Land Management's long-awaited decision on the Environmental Assessment for the aging stables at its The Stables At the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area has been scrapped. The decision to seek alternative development options was revealed to the public Monday morning at the office of Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland, who hosted U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th), BLM executives, barn manager Allison Mills and barn supporters. "We've looked at the coming fiscal reality and determined that those three options in the EA (Environmental Assessment) are not enough," said BLM spokesman Bob Gillcash. "Hopefully we are no longer contained to option A, B or C. We're really looking for D, E, F and G, maybe H. We want …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Barn manager Allison Mills' business is going to stay.
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 …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Time for some chow.
Patch was just in time for dinner at the Meadowood Barn on Thursday, Dec. 6. The bell rang at around 3:30 p.m., and the 16 horses that live at the barn responded by walking back to their stalls unaided to wait for their evening meal. Fate of Barn/Boarding Remain Questionable The future of the Meadowood Barn remains questionable, and the Bureau of Land Management, which owns the facility, is expected to make a formal decision in January on the Environmental Assessment of the aging structure. Barn manager Allison Mills is now down another horse (it went to a training facility and was not allowed to come back, she said), and due to her contract with BLM, she is unable to increase the number of horses boarded beyond 15. The development …
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
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Friday, October 12, 2012
Barn manager Allison Mills asked the Bureau of Land Management for an increase in boardered horses. BLM declined.
Meadowood Barn manager Allison Mills is barely holding on. Last week, Ranger, a 29-year-old quarter horse, passed away, and with another boarder soon moving to Fredericksburg, the number of horses at the barn has dwindled to 17. Mills, whose annual contract was renewed in April by the Bureau of Land Management, is awaiting a final decision on how BLM plans to proceed with the redevelopment of the Lorton barn. And until BLM makes a decision on its Environmental Assessment and barn renovations are complete, she is contractually restricted from replacing horses. "I don't know how I make ends meet, but miraculously it happens," Mills told Patch. "We have no savings. Every boarder pays me a security deposit of $700, and if every boarder left, …
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
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Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Moran is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
U.S. Rep Jim Moran (D-8th) said Tuesday the Bureau of Land Management would see reductions in government-appropriated funds if horse operations cease during renovation of the barn at the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area in Lorton. Moran said BLM's lack of communication is inexcusable. "BLM has not been responsive because the website was down, and inexcusably so," Moran told Patch at Great Harvest Bread in Lorton. "I'm confident that they'll listen, because we have substantial leverage and I control their funding. I'm the ranking member of the Interior Appropriations Committee... Unless they want to have their funding cut, I would assume they would want to work with us. It's a reasonable assumption. "We have a responsibility to…
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
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Comments may be submitted online, via email or through the mail.
The Bureau of Land Management has extended the public comment period deadline for its Environmental Assessment of The Stables at Meadowood from July 3 to July 24. Comments may be submitted: BLM alerted the public of the extension Monday on it's website, which for weeks suffered a glitch that kept people from commenting. BLM did not indicate a reason for the new deadline in the announcement, but did confirm in earlier emails there were website problems. "I apologize for the issues with the comment link. I have notified our IT people to correct the problem," wrote BLM Eastern States Planning & Environmental Coordinator Kurt Wadzinski in an email last week. "Thank you for bringing it to our attention. In the meantime, feel free to reply to …
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
/articles/blm-extends-comment-period-on-meadowood-barn-to-july-24
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Thursday, April 26, 2012
BLM station manager Lynn Burkett leaving.
Within two weeks, the Bureau of Land Management will release its long-awaited Environmental Assessment of the horse stables at the Meadowood Recreation Area, a BLM official confirmed Wednesday. The report, which was due to be released last December, highlights the environmental impact of the area surrounding the barn and makes recommendations on its future use. The report has not yet been made public, but the current station manager implied Wednesday that the barn is here to stay. "I'll tell you what I told the Mount Vernon Supervisor's office, which is that I think you will be pleased with the report," said BLM Station Manager E. Lynn Burkett, who recently put in her notice after getting a promotion. "[The stables are] a form of …
38.67584
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
/articles/bureau-of-land-management-meadowood-barn-environmental-study-expected-within-two-weeks
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Saturday, October 8, 2011
The next adoption event will be next year
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- James Cullum
-
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Three wild horses and one burro were adopted today at the Bureau of Land Management's Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area. The remaining 25 horses and eight burros are headed to a holding facility in Elm Creek, Neb., where they will wait until another adoption event around the country. "It's a good price, but the horse is definitely a lot of work," said Donna Kelsch, of Rising Sun, MD, who was preapproved and picked up a horse on Saturday morning. "I've adopted all my dogs from the SPCA. For me, it's important to give an animal a good home if you can." Why so few adoptions? The economy is tough, said Karen Malloy, a BLM wild horse and burro specialist. "It's just a bad time. The economy is the number one reason, and winter is …
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
/articles/theres-still-time-to-adopt-a-wild-horse-or-burro
422119
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tear down? Renovate? Sell?
The future of barn at the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area is in question. Using deferred maintenance funds, the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the structure has these options: redevelop the existing structure, tear it down and rebuild, or sell it as-is to a third party (a mandatory option). The decision will determine much, including the fate of Meadowood's dwindling horse boarding program. "My business right now is suffering," said Allison Mills, a government contractor who runs boarding operations at the barn. "I'm not an engineer. I know there are some issues at the barn for sure. But in terms of barns in the surrounding area… this barn is stellar." Mills signed a contract last spring that says BLM can limit the …
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The Stables At Meadowood
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
/articles/the-fate-of-the-meadowood-barn-part-1-of-3
422119
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Janet
5:08 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2013
This is the most beautiful stable and riding space in the local area!! I am overjoyed about this decision and look forward to taking lessons there in the near future. more ›