Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Manure nearly stymies permit renewal

Arena owner: Our poop doesn’t stink

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By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

Equestrien Rosemary Sluder, above, will be able to continue riding at Sagebrush Arena due to a decision by the Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission to renew the facility’s permit. The arena needed a new permit after the departure of the Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped, which held the permit for the facility. Photo by David N. Seelig

Manure almost stalled reinstatement of Sagebrush Arena owner Kristine Pigeon's operating permit on Thursday, but Blaine County Planning and Zoning commissioners agreed the arena's benefit to the community outweighed any potentially obnoxious odor.

Pigeon came before the P&Z on Thursday to request a reinstatement of the permit for equestrian operations that she was issued in 1991. The site on Buttercup Road north of Hailey is located is zoned as a residential area, and Pigeon had to get a conditional-use permit to run what is considered an agricultural operation.

The Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped took over responsibility for obtaining the permit when it leased the arena in 1998, but now that the organization is moving to a new facility south of Bellevue, its permit is no longer valid for the Sagebrush Arena.

Pigeon said she was applying for permission to run much the same operation as she did before her arena was leased by the Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped —as a place where kids can learn to ride and valley residents can board horses, and a place with the potential to become a facility for use by community organizations such as Sun Valley Adaptive Sports.

"If you want to learn how to ride a horse, there's really nowhere else to go," Pigeon told the P&Z. "There is no one [in the valley] who does lessons like we do."

But the application process unearthed two negative comments regarding the facility from a neighbor who said the arena's manure had piled up and the smell was growing as well.

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Pigeon said it's difficult to haul manure off-site during the winter, but it is hauled off for composting every 10 to 14 days during the rest of the year. The comments, she said, stemmed from a quick thaw and a "contentious" relationship with the neighbor.

Commissioner William Ranill suggested that Pigeon implement a system such as those used by ranchers between Hailey and Twin Falls to cover up manure during the winter. The cost, he suggested, could be covered by the manure haulers, who might be willing to pay for the privilege if they consider compostable manure to be a valuable commodity.

But Pigeon said such a system would be unfeasible.

"I don't think they would pay for manure," she said, adding that covering the manure hardly seemed to work for the ranchers to whom Ranill referred.

"I know what it smells like when you drive to Twin Falls," she said. "If you've ever smelled anything [at Sagebrush], I'll come up and give you a $100 bill."

No one left the meeting any richer. Commissioner Mike O'Farrell said he wished he could cash in on the bet, but of the many times he's ridden on the bike path, he hasn't smelled a thing.

The permit was approved, on the understanding that the manure would be removed on a regular basis.

"Regular removal of manure is just good for basic health," said Commissioner Jo Lowe. "It's a good best management practice."

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com

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