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Court directs staff to seek Myers Park site for sheriff’s equine therapy program
Summary
After reviewing prior court orders and current program operations, commissioners directed staff to identify a suitable location in Myers Park for the Valor equine therapy program; motion passed 4–0.
County administration updated the Commissioner's Court on the Valor equine therapy program and asked staff to find a suitable location for an equine facility in Myers Park.
County administrator Yoon Kim summarized a July 2024 court order that approved construction on county property by a 3–2 vote but required no county financial impact and restricted use of staff resources. Kim told the court that Valor participants currently train at Funk Carter’s ranch in Salina and that the sheriff agrees the courthouse campus is not the best location.
Kim recommended that staff pivot to Myers Park, a county-owned park about a 15‑minute drive from the courthouse, and seek a site that could accommodate the equine program while complying with the earlier court order’s financial limitations. Commissioners discussed options including leveraging existing utilities and facilities at Myers Park, possible use of commissary funds for program items, and whether to improve existing park infrastructure rather than build a new facility.
A motion directing staff to find a suitable location in Myers Park and to permit limited, de minimis county staff resources to perform site evaluations and due diligence was made and passed 4–0. The court requested regular status updates and clarified that final decisions about construction, costs and access would return to the court for approval.
