Fairground horse boarding is questioned

Wahkiakum County officials are re-examining a program for boarding horses at the fairgrounds in Skamokawa.

The program was started with 4-H youth in mind, but other horse owners have questioned the propriety of the program. Under the program, participants could board horses at the fairgrounds horse barn for $100 per month and work off the fee by performing 20 hours of community service.

The questions came to the board of county commissioners Tuesday. Commission Chair Mike Backman said the county fair board, of which he is a member, said the fair board is looking into the situation.

East Valley resident Ginger Moonen raised the subject Tuesday. Although there were horses being boarded, she had been told she couldn't board horses there. Further, there had been no public announcement the boarding was available.

Community service work won't cover the expenses such as water and electricity, she added.

Backman responded that the

program was intended to be for 4-H participants. There had been

other complaints, and Backman said the fair board was re-examining the program and they had consulted with the prosecuting attorney about the legality of the program.

"There are no horses there now," Backman said. "We're working on the issue. We haven't made a decision on what we're going to do."

Fair board President Philip Vik echoed Backman's comments. The program was to be for 4-H horses, he said.

"However this gets resolved, this has to be equitable to all," said Commissioner Blair Brady. "One other thing, as has been pointed out, there are dollar costs other than community service would cover."

"We did discuss that," Backman said.

The fair board will continue working on the issue, commissioners said, adding that fair board meetings are public.