Dear Gilpin County Board of Commissioners:

This letter is to open an avenue for more use of county facilities. I am a long time resident of Gilpin County. Being one of the many residents of this county that owns horses and enjoys partaking in equine ventures I want to see if there is a possibility to help the county take care of the ground in both the Arena and Barn. I realize that your employees have priorities and only so much time to get things taken care of. There are many residents within the county that really enjoy having a great facility to partake in equine ventures. Unfortunately because of living in the mountains we deal with weather that tends to be unpredictable. This also makes it difficult for the employees to care for the arena after all of their priorities. After getting any form of moisture the arena dries and turns into almost like concrete which is extremely unsafe conditions for the riders and their horses. As for the barn ground I have had the pleasure of being able to use itduring the winter season but last spring my horse ended up lame for several months after the use of the barn. The ground in the barn tends to have many holes and rock hard spots throughout making it unsafe for riders and their horses. I would like to propose a solution. I know there have been non county employees in the past that have cared for the ground in the arena and barn, is there a way that we can create a waiver of liability and a process to have a non-county employee drag the arena and barn when need be. I have a county resident willing to volunteer for this venture that works with heavy equipment daily at his job and has experience dragging arenas. I feel this would save the county money and time and get maximum use and benefit from our facilities.

My hope is to increase the use of facilities for our equine enthusiasts and open up a new avenue for our youth to be given the opportunity to take part as well. There are many in this county that can benefit from the increased ability to use these facilities safely and proficiently.

Sincerely, Krystal Meyer