Howard County?s case for a planned state horse park would depend largely on strong support among lawmakers and residents, state officials say.
A site in Anne Arundel fell through amid fading political support and community concern about the effect of the 875-acre park on traffic and the environment, said Rob Burk, executive director of the Horse Industry Board.
“You?ve got to get your political ducks in order,” Crystal Kimball, an adviser to the Maryland Horse Industry Board, said this week at a meeting of a Howard County task force reviewing the possibility of bringing the Maryland Horse Park to Howard.
The board and the Maryland State Authority selected the Arundel site from a pool of bids in 2005 and conducted a feasibility study. The location had the proper infrastructure, such as roads and hotels, but lacked community backing, Burk said.
Plans for a state park, which would include a visitors center, museum, indoor show room and at least 850 stables, have been in the works for nearly a decade as a way to centralize and promote the state?s equine industry.
Harford and Wicomico counties also have shown interest in the park. In Harford, officials hoped that bringing tracks to the county would benefit the area?s ailing horse-farming industry. However, Harford?s only track, in Havre de Grace, closed decades ago.
Howard?s task force will examine costs and potential locations before county officials decide whether to vie for the park.
The task force suffered a blow last week when top University of Maryland, College Park officials said they weren?t interested in a horse park at the school?s Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Clarksville, the primary location the task force has been eyeing.
Members of the task force are looking at other locations, but plan to write to University Provost Nariman Farvardin and President Dan Mote and hope to meet with them.
Mike Erskine, the task force?s chairman, said he?s disappointed University of Maryland opposed the Clarksville site.
