Wachs Calls for Stables to Remain Until Inspections Are Done

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs asked the Department of Recreation and Parks on Friday to postpone demolition of the run-down Hansen Dam Equestrian Center until new inspections of the stables can be completed.

His request came on the heels of a meeting Wednesday at which 500 people protested plans to raze the 35-year-old facility.

The city wants to demolish the existing structures so it can entice a developer to spend up to $800,000 on a modern center, complete with show rings, a clubhouse and expanded boarding facilities. But many residents fear the center may never be replaced.

Although the Hansen Dam stables are not in Wachs’ district, many of the residents who use them are.

The 25-acre property is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which leases it to the City of Los Angeles. The parks department, in turn, contracts with a concessionaire to operate and maintain the stables.

Delay Requested

Tom Petrique, an administrative assistant in the parks department, said he drafted a letter to the corps Friday requesting that its Nov. 6 order to demolish the stables by early next year be delayed until new inspections can be done by the city’s fire, building and safety, and animal regulation departments, and the state Department of Water Quality.

Previous inspections have found inadequate electrical wiring, overflowing cesspools, broken bleachers and fences in need of repair.

Residents and members of equestrian groups concede that the stables have been poorly maintained. But they argue that the equestrian center can be refurbished. At the very least, they say, it should not be demolished until the city has a firm proposal to replace it.

Corps spokesman Jared Miller said Friday that federal officials could not comment on the city’s proposal until they receive and analyze Petrique’s letter.

“To a large degree, what will happen will be determined by the results of those inspections,” Miller said.