LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Horseman's Park will soon be under new management.
On Tuesday, Clark County commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Fresno, California-based company AEC Management, who will take over operations and management of the county-funded facility.
Like the commission meeting in December, several members of the community asked commissioners to take the item off the agenda and continue to speak with local horse groups about moving forward with a local company instead.
"[Our] concern with AEC is we don't think they've done a good job at Horse Lovers Park in Arizona. When [AEC's Megan McGill] presented her letters of recommendation from the city, nobody did their due diligence within the horse community in Phoenix to see what's actually happening there," Las Vegas resident Tilly Jenski said. "When we pulled up the list of Arizona high school rodeos, there was not one there. People I spoke to said there's no barrel racing, no roping, and no local organized events. There have been no upgrades and the community [there] is not happy with AEC. The rodeo community has been pushed out. It is difficult for parents like myself who have multiple jobs to get out to Alamo, which is two hours away, when we should have access to a local, county-funded community park."
"We would really respectfully request that you either delay awarding a contract or at least get a panel of horse people to put requirements in the contracts for the locals," Las Vegas resident Pam Kaiser said. "There have been a number of people that have shown up for this. I believe, honestly, that should count more than a letter of recommendation."
Several community members also mentioned that kids have nowhere to go if local events are no longer held at Horseman's Park.
"I'm a professional horse trainer. I've got kids in training. I've got one student that we don't have the area for kids to go to," Las Vegas resident Eric Coons said. "I am mortified that the high school rodeo program is not going to Horseman's Park. They haven't been going there for over 10 years. The local community is 80% of what Horseman's Park is and to have somebody from the outside that's not part of the county is ridiculous."
During the previous commission meeting, representatives from the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department said the purpose of the venue hasn't changed and they will continue to host local events every year.
"We have 30 local events scheduled for 2024 and [local groups] were given preference over some of the non-local groups," said Justin Williams, from Clark County Parks and Recreation. "We spent a lot of money updating that park so that everybody can enjoy that park and that it attracts wonderful events year-round. That will be part of the negotiations."
According to the contract that was approved on Tuesday, local, regional, and national equine events will be planned in coordination with county staff and a scheduling calendar must be prepared and provided to the county on a semi-annual basis. The contract also states that AEC officials must create, establish, and maintain a website to promote Horseman's Park and users will also be able to make reservations, payments, and submit comments.
You can read the full contract here.
