I’m writing this as a Wellington resident for over 22 years. I was present while the equestrian area was developed, and I remember the refrain, “we don’t want commercialism, and we don’t want to widen South Shore and divide the horse community.” At that time I lived in Paddock Park 2 and had horses.
Now we are visited by a developer who wants to add a hotel and a large commercial segment, and has Councilwoman Anne Gerwig (who has never seen a commercial plan for our equestrian preserve that she would vote down) agreeing with everything he puts in front of her. Their ideas could well necessitate widening our roads.
Recently she asked about an overpass going over South Shore and Pierson Road, for which there had been a couple of years of studies and discussion already.
1) The cost is probably close to $2 million.
2) In order to make the incline gradual, properties would be needed on both sides of said overpass.
3) Most important, would horses want to go over the overpass while a tractor-trailer is passing underneath? Might not this present safety issues?
4) A traffic gate operated by riders might be a thought, with signage (blinking lights, etc.) before and after the intersection to slow down. I put my faith in the Equestrian Committee because from what I have been reading, they seem to understand the detriment of commercial development in this pristine preserve, and I would hope their vision is to keep our treasure as we envisioned it years ago. Common sense over greed — a simple concept!
George Unger
Wellington
More mean spirited half truths misrepresentations from Mr. Unger.
By “developer” do you men Mark Bellissimo and partners who saved the horse industry and the economic lives of many Wellington businesses?
Why does the Crier give Unger a platform?
IF a horse crossing (whether bridge or tunnel) was placed closer to the Old Boys and Girls Club site on South Shore Blvd. (Wellington owned land) half the problem of securing additional land for the safety of equestrians and horses could be alleviated.
If a tunnel could be built so that golfers could travel across Forest Hill Blvd near the old polo club golf course; then it is not so outlandish to think, that a tunnel could also be built on South Shore Blvd for equestrians to cross safely. It certainly would not be an inexpensive solution, but it would be a very good solution.
Let’s see if these horse lovers start to put their money where their mouths are and begin to assemble property for a bridge or a tunnel for equestrian safety issues. That is paramount!
The needless attack on Councilwoman Gerwig is childish.
Anne Gerwig is a brilliant woman who understands the economy and votes her conscience, knowing that low information voters like Mr. Unger will attack her mercilessly.
Perhaps the hotel is the financial vehicle that makes the rest of the project feasible. We are not dealing with tax dollars here and politicians who spend our money badly. I am referring to the three new members of the Wellington Council who want to fund the Inspector General after voters were told that it would not cost them a cent and that contractors would pay the cost of running the new IG office.
If the Equestrian Village were a project being built by Wellington there would be no need for a hotel since it would be a losing proposition and the Council would simply tax us more and more to pay for it.
Mr. Unger resists spending $2 million dollars for an overpass that would save lives and makes a lot of sense. I wonder how he feels about the $9 million-dollar-a-year Inspector General’s office that Commissioner Santamaria created. That office was totally unnecessary because existing law enforcement had done an outstanding job of identifying criminals and putting them in jail.
Frankly there are much more important issues to deal with, like the future of farming in Wellington, because voters like Unger want to eliminate them.
[…] Horse Overpass is a Bad Idea […]