COMMERCE TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Supporters are being rallied to "pack the room" ahead of a Tuesday night meeting in Commerce Township in a last-ditch attempt to save a local horse farm from shuttering its stables.
"We are in desperate need of your support to keep Windmill Farms Riding Academy open," organizer Jennifer Yeager-Saylor started in an online petition against Commerce Township Michigan Board Members. She, along with other organizers, hope to gather supporters at a 7 p.m. meeting on Dec. 13 at Charter Township of Commerce at 2009 Township Drive in an effort to save the Oakland County horse farm.
According to the petition, the popular equestrian facility located on Wixom Road was granted a five-year concession agreement by the Commerce Township Board of Trustees, but now the farm is facing closure after the board decided in September to terminate the agreement after only two years.
"Blindsided is an understatement," Yeager-Saylor wrote.
Carrie Hancock, who runs the academy, argued the farm is very valuable to the community which benefit from its riding programs as well as its aesthetic.
"We've got pony rides for the young kids. We do riding lessons. We supply horses to the school equestrian teams. We have summer camp. We have opportunities for special needs riders," she said. "A lot of people in the area just like driving by and seeing the horses. It's an old turn-of-the century farmstead — a big red barn and a white farm house and it's appealing."
As stated by the petition, the academy services MIHA District 1 Schools which include students at, Walled Lake Schools, Huron Valley Schools, South Lyon Schools, Novi Schools and West Bloomfield Schools.
"Riders of all ages benefit from Carrie's 30+ seasoned school horses and equipment supply," online organizers said. "Windmill is also where facilitation takes place for several 501(c)(3) non profit organizations, such as Detroit Horse Power."
In addition to a wide variety of disciplines, the farm also provides education services as well as therapeutic services for community members with physical and mental challenges.
Even if you don't ride, supporters say the equestrian center serves the community by "giving us the opportunity to connect with agriculture, preserving green space, minimizing density, protecting our watershed, controlling noise, preserving our water quality and connecting us to history."
Related
Hancock says if the farm is forced to close at end of the month, there will be 50 horses that will need to find new homes and that's tough during the winter months
"We operate completely year-round,' she explained. "We're in an indoor area through the winter and you can't just pick up and move this size of operation to another location and have that opportunity this time of year because other horse farms are already full with horses that move indoors for the winter."
Hancock and the horses, some of which have called the farm home for 17 years, would need to be out by December 30 if a new agreement cannot be reachd, which supporters have called "cruel, reckless and detrimental."
"There is not a viable option for this program anywhere else in our community," they said. "Their herd will be broken apart."
The petition states Commerce Township is in the middle of "a new master plan," and is looking to make changes by potentially adding recreational space on the farm's current location, such as soccer fields, baseball fields, pickleball courts.
"Let's not lose our only public farm that is totally self-sufficient and relies on zero tax dollars," the petition urged.
The public can voice their support at Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting at Charter Township of Commerce or by signing this petition, writing letters and phoning Commerce Township board members.