Horse owners complain about fairgrounds’ barn at Greene County meeting
WAYNESBURG – People who rent horse stalls at the Greene County Fairgrounds’ 4-H horse barn say conditions there remind them of the Orndoff barn, which was destroyed by fire Jan. 28, 2000, killing all 17 horses inside. On Thursday, several horse owners who rent stalls at the 30-year-old 4-H barn told the commissioners that the wiring is faulty, the ramps are rotted and the doors are difficult to manage.
Barbara LeMasters, who rents a stall at the barn for her daughter Michelle’s horse, said she is concerned about the wiring. She said no fire extinguishers are in sight, and it’s almost impossible to get the sliding doors open quickly. And, she said many of the ramps used to haul away manure are too high, and many of the boards are rotted.
“We’ve had a couple of small fires there,” LeMasters said.
Lighting is another concern LeMasters has. She said there is no timer to turn the outside lights off and on, and inside, the lighting is poor.
“There are mostly women in there,” she said. “We need a safe place to ride and a safe barn.”
Bonnie Swaniger, who also rents a stall there, said she is concerned that the building hasn’t been inspected for some time.
“We’d like to see the building up to the fire code,” she said.
Snow- and ice-filled gutters are causing large amounts of water to seep in under the doors, Swaniger said, leaving huge mud puddles in its wake.
“We go to the [fairgrounds] office and don’t get definite answers on anything,” LeMasters said.
The commissioners listened to their concerns and decided to schedule a meeting with anyone who rents stalls in that barn for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the fairgrounds office. Members of the public also are welcome to attend.
Gene Lee, chief clerk, said county maintenance staff immediately replaced a heater in one of the barn’s restrooms after it overheated last fall.
Lee also said the county is hiring a certified electrician to replace the wiring in the barn. He added, however, that the materials for the job are expected to cost about $12,000 for the large building, which is about 120 feet long.
“And it has not been budgeted,” he said because the staff wasn’t aware of the problem until December, after the 2003 budget already had been passed.
Where the money will come from is unknown.
“The fairground loses money each year,” Lee said, adding that the county might increase stall rental to help cover the costs.
Still, he said, “Nobody wants another fire down there.”
He said the entire building was inspected and found to be in compliance after the fire at the Orndoff barn.
After the meeting, horse owner Carol McIntyre said people usually exercise their horses at the ring in the cattle barn, but that barn was unavailable due to motocross events.
Thursday afternoon, Cindy Orndorff, who was caring for her two horses, said that while there are a number of problems with the barn, she insists that county maintenance staff have tried to work with the horse owners.
“It’s not that they have not tried to do things,” she said. “They are very willing to do things…but some upkeep had not been done for a long time.”
She says some doors are difficult to manage, but others have been replaced. Fire extinguishers are a sore spot, she said, because when they’re in sight, they tend do get stolen.
“This is a public building, and with animals in here, you can’t keep it locked,” she said.
Orndorff said the situation is difficult, and she is concerned that the rent will be raised too much to help pay for the improvements.
“I pay $50 per stall. …You’re not going to go anywhere and rents stalls for that price,” she said. “Some people won’t be able to afford it. …I’d rather we meet and have some common ground, rather than make our demands.”
In other business, the commissioners passed all the motions on the agenda, including the approval of the $1.47 billion assessment figure for the county’s real estate.
They also ratified the countywide disaster declaration because of the Feb. 17 snowstorm.
The commissioners also renewed a grant with the state Department of Public Welfare that provides subsidized child-care services through the Greene County Childcare Information Service Program.
CCIS director John Buchanan noted that the program continues to be successful in the county. He said 243 children attend nine day centers and 45 family day care homes in the county.
The commissioners also announced that the Department of Environmental Protection has found several technical deficiencies in a radioactive materials monitoring plan application submitted by the WSPA Transfer Processing Facility in Wayne Township near Blacksville. WSPA is required to submit revisions in order for the DEP to proceed with the application. The monitoring plan is used for the disposal of medical waste, such as chemical dyes.
The commissioners will hold their next agenda meeting at 11 a.m. March 19, with the regular meeting to follow at 10 a.m. March 20.