Council studies operations of Lakewood Equestrian Center

Published on June 27, 2024

At a special publicly noticed meeting on Tuesday evening, the Lakewood City Council studied the operational and long-term needs of the Lakewood Equestrian Center (LEC).

Staff presented a comprehensive report on the LEC’s fiscal standing at the meeting. The report highlighted the necessity for numerous repairs and capital improvement projects (conservatively estimated at $6 million) to keep the facility functional, as well as the City of Lakewood personnel required to continue managing and operating the facility. The report also addressed the operational budget, which runs in a deficit, exceeding LEC revenues by over $100,000 a year.

Background

The LEC was run by a private operator for over 30 years who leased the land from the City of Lakewood. When that operator retired in the past few years, the city looked for a new operator but was unable to find any willing or able to invest in the facility and operate it in line with state and federal regulations.

For several years now, the city has dedicated an increasing amount of funds and city staff pulled from work on other city projects and facilities to keep it open, but always with the intent of finding a long-term operator. 

The owners of horses at the LEC include 16 Lakewood residents and 67 residents of other nearby cities. Some of those private owners use their horses for lessons and riding opportunities offered to the public.

Discussion and decision

After hearing from 54 individuals during public comments and weighing all factors in a nearly three-hour meeting, the City Council directed staff to return within 60 days with a draft site plan of a smaller footprint that would retain the petting zoo and pony ride operations, as well as prepare a request for proposal (RFP) to seek a new long-term operator.

The smaller footprint will reflect the exclusion of the Southern California Edison licensed land, which encompasses about half of the LEC property. SCE’s rigid five-year land licensing provisions complicate long-term planning and operation of a horse stable because of SCE’s ability to revoke the use of their land at any time, even in the middle of a five-year licensing period. This makes any capital improvements on that portion of land very risky.

The city remains open to a qualified individual or organization stepping forward to take over operations. During the upcoming 60-day study period, the city will convene a working group of members of the equestrian community to seek input on possible operators.