Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee is open to reducing the number of times it meets throughout the year to advise the Wellington Village Council on equestrian matters.
At a meeting Wednesday, May 6, Committee Chair Glen Fleischer asked the committee to consider meeting quarterly instead of monthly. According to him, the committee’s original charter only required members to meet at least once per quarter, but the schedule slowly changed into monthly meetings.
“It seems to me that there could be some benefit to going back to the original charter… unless there’s an application that requires input, in which case, we would need to meet on a timely basis to keep that process moving forward,” Fleischer said.
The charter requires them to meet at least once per quarter, but currently, the Equestrian Preserve Committee gathers on the first Wednesday of every month. Other committee members were interested in convening less frequently, but they still wanted to continue to hold more regular meetings right before and during the winter equestrian season.
Dr. Kristy Lund, who has sat on the committee for several years, was hesitant to revert to gathering quarterly. She explained that some issues would have been stalled if they had not met monthly, and she recalled instances of struggling to reach a quorum for important applications.
“This is a committee that you are dedicated to as a citizen of Wellington,” she said. “If you cannot commit to it… then maybe you should not dedicate your time to it.”
Other committee members assured Lund that they will still convene on urgent matters and meet on an as-needed basis in the interim.
They agreed to determine a schedule of the exact times when to hold public discussions at their next meeting after receiving clarification from the village attorney.
In other business, the village will be pausing part of the Recreation Trails Program for the Brown Trail that is west of Wellington Trace. The village is holding off on completing the project to apply for a $450,000 grant. The project will construct a 16-foot bridle trail, stabilize the corridor for improved durability and install drainage improvements, at a cost of $750,000. If awarded the grant, the village will resume the project and complete construction by next summer.
