Park board rejects Palatine Stables again

For supporters of the Palatine Stables, the odds are slim that the facility will remain open.

At its Monday meeting, the Palatine Park District board doubled down on its decision two months ago to close the equestrian center at Northwest Highway and Dundee Road.

Park commissioners held a revote, narrowly electing 3-2 to shut it down, effective Nov. 30.

Voting in the majority were board President Terry Ruff, Vice President Jennifer Rogers and Commissioner Joe Petricca. The minority votes came from commissioners Sue Gould and Greg Sammons.

Prior to the vote, Gould made a motion to rescind the May 13 decision, but when it came to a vote, she and Sammons provided the only votes in favor.

“I think that the motion on May 13 was made in haste,” Gould told the board, suggesting a special meeting to discuss the future of the stables, as well as what repairs are needed and their actual costs.

“It’s a unique facility, as many people have pointed out. I used to work out there when I was a teenager. I was the head instructor and taught lessons out there and prepared the horses,” she said. “The board needs to listen to our citizens, as we normally do with any other program or facility.”

Petricca, however, said he was going with Park District Executive Director Ben Rea’s suggestion that the stables close, adding, “The actual bottom line is the board has to have our executive director’s back.”

Supporters of the stables, who had rallied outside village hall prior to the meeting and testified about the facility’s benefits to the community and the park district, reacted with outrage at the decision. Children who participated in programs and volunteered at the stables burst into tears at the outcome.

Following the meeting, Gould explained that the board took the revote because the district’s attorney was concerned about a possible violation of the Open Meetings Act in its initial May 13 vote. The park district currently faces a lawsuit in Cook County circuit court and a complaint with the Illinois attorney general’s office.