Rockingham County is determined to have an equestrian center. Maybe it’s me, but this latest spin smacks of desperation as advocates come up with yet another idea to pay for it: Make it an education center affiliated with Rockingham Community College that could draw foundation money and grants:
At this point, there’s little backing beyond $2.5 million earmarked from the state and the Golden Leaf Foundation. Organizers haven’t seen major new funding in more than a year.
So tonight in the Rockingham County Governmental Center, a group will discuss how that educational component might help.
Offering equine education could draw grants, said Jerry Owens, chairman of the center’s planning group.
“We got to get this thing coming out of the ground pretty soon or people will lose interest in it,” he said.
Last month, a regional group decided to create a nonprofit to help the equestrian center attract foundation and other grants.
Now, Owens, former president of Rockingham Community College, said that RCC or local horse farms may be interested in horse education.
He and others are shooting for the oft-cited figures from a 2003 study that say having a center could generate $1 million a year in local sales tax revenue, create 700 jobs and have a $45 million total annual economic impact.
It looks like people have already lost interest.
