O.C. Fair Wants In at El Toro Stables

Orange County Fair officials expressed interest Tuesday in running the money-losing El Toro Marine base horse stables, provided the county lifts certain contract restrictions--including an 8% revenue guarantee.

Curt Pringle, president of the fair board, told supervisors the fair has years of experience running an equestrian center at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. But Pringle and fair officials said bidding restrictions did not allow the state-run fair board to apply, only private stables.

Such limitations do not allow for “innovative ideas,” Pringle said, such as allowing the fair, if it could bid, to increase the number of barns at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, an action which could reduce the per-horse cost of boarding.

Several stables throughout the county have closed in recent years, resulting in expensive boarding fees and long waiting lists for stalls.

The fair has begun community meetings on a 10-year master plan that includes outreach programs that reflect residents’ interests. Some of the ideas, including providing riding programs for low-income youth, could succeed at El Toro, Pringle said.

The fair’s equestrian center was established in the 1970s and specializes in schooling horses for competition. The 13-acre facility houses about 250 horses; unlike the El Toro stables, the fairgrounds facility does not have riding trails.

Fair officials requested changes to the county’s bidding procedure that will allow the fair to bid against private stables. Other changes include modifying requirements such as having an independent audit by a major firm and a minimum 8% revenue guarantee.

The county wants to get out of the horse-boarding business at El Toro, where it is losing $105,000 a year.

Supervisors questioned Gary Simon, director of the El Toro planning agency, about the bidding guidelines, which Supervisor Todd Spitzer said seemed excessive and confusing because of errors.

The guidelines were to protect and minimize the board’s cost, Simon said. Last year, the county spent $7 million to lease and operate the base. It has set a strategic planning goal to reduce that expenditure to $5 million this year.

The board agreed to include the fair’s ideas in its bidding process. The bidding deadline is Nov. 8.

Votes on proposals to increase fees for golf and RV parking at the former base were postponed until Oct. 16.