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Committee approves Blue Hills Pony Club agreements, waives usage fees after insurance and maintenance commitments
Summary
After a presentation by Robin Platt, the committee approved two usage agreements and waived fees for the Blue Hills Equestrian Pony Club; the club provided a $2 million liability certificate, pledged volunteer maintenance and noted prior long‑standing use of the fairgrounds for youth events.
The Rusk County Fairgrounds Committee voted to approve usage agreements and waive facility usage fees for the Blue Hills Equestrian Pony Club after the club’s representative outlined insurance coverage, youth programming and volunteer maintenance commitments.
Robin Platt, speaking on behalf of Blue Hills, described the club as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves youth ages 4–25 and asked to use the fairgrounds for camps, clinics and shows. Platt said the club lists the fairgrounds as a permanent location on its insurance and carries a $2,000,000 liability policy with medical provisions for riders, dental coverage ($300 per tooth) and $200,000 per horse coverage that also covers horse death. Platt also offered to sponsor and help maintain the race barn and open‑air barn and to provide volunteer labor for cleanup and minor repairs.
Committee members asked whether adults who compete or participate in the event would be covered under that insurance and whether concurrent adult fundraisers (the club’s nonmember entries and booth sales) created a precedent for fee waivers. Charmaine (staff) confirmed the club had provided a certificate of insurance; committee members agreed that, so long as organizers confirm that nonmembers and adult participants are covered, the committee could proceed without charging standard facility fees. The committee noted that the club already generates camping revenue (a member said a single event had produced over $500 in camping fees in a prior year) and that the club’s volunteers regularly maintain barns and grounds used by youth exhibitors.
A motion to approve the two agreements and waive usage fees was made, seconded and carried. Committee members praised the club’s application, the detail of its insurance documentation and its willingness to help maintain fairground facilities.
Why it matters: Blue Hills’ events are youth‑oriented and generate camping revenue and volunteer maintenance; the committee balanced the club’s stated public‑service mission and facility upkeep against the county’s fee policy.
Next steps: Staff will finalize agreements with specific dates and ensure certificates of insurance explicitly cover nonmembers/adult participants before events proceed.
