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MILL CREEK METROPARKS Board ends lease negotiations with Buckeye Horse Park group
LOWELLVILLE
Mill Creek MetroParks Board of Commissioners ceased lease negotiations with Buckeye Horse Park Association for the parcel of Vickers Nature Preserve that the organization has leased for 25 years.
Since 1994, BHPA leased the facility to provide horse riding trails and equestrian competition opportunities.
Negotiations were attempted after the lease expired in February and rekindled after a contentious and well-attended board meeting April 8.
Executive Director Aaron Young advised commissioners that leasing the property is not in the best interest of the park.
“A lease is not needed to have equitable use of the area for recreation,” said Young. “Without the lease, the big kicker is there is no net loss of recreational opportunity for anyone.”
He also noted that the park is in a master planning process, which would benefit from the availability of the area.
“We want to be able to maximize the potential to alter, edit, improve, supplement those facilities as needed to provide full recreational use to that property, not just equestrian,” Young said.
Germaine Bennett was the only board member that voted to continue negotiating. Before the vote, she expressed concern that parameters for managing the facility were passed before negotiations were completed.
Commissioners approved the continued negotiation of a memorandum of understanding with BHPA regarding the previous lease for the facility.
The original lease included the following provision: “Any monies now so utilized or programmed for utilization within a reasonable time, shall be paid to Lessor at the end of every fifth year of this lease.”
The memorandum will sort out the final payment, estimated to be about $9,000.
In light of Thursday’s decision, Vickers Nature Preserve will be able to be rented in the same fashion as other MetroParks facilities.