For-sale sign raises questions at Rodeo Arena

On Aug. 25, volunteers from California High School Rodeo Association District No. 3 were hard at work getting Lincoln's Rodeo Arena ready for the upcoming season. They cleaned the snack bar, shoveled out the bucking chutes, nailed down any loose boards, cut down weeds and groomed the grounds to prepare for opening day, which is Sept. 22.Many of the workers at the rodeo grounds were surprised to see a brand new for-sale sign displayed at the front of the arena. And the new sign prompted a cascade of calls from supporters worried about the fate of the high school rodeo.The Lincoln Riders Club, a California nonprofit corporation, owns the arena, which consists of 10.6 acres. According to club CEO Gerald Langle, although the sign is new, the land has been for sale for the last few years. "We informed the district two years ago what our plans were," he said."The Lincoln Riders Club intends, within the near future, to move the current facility, known as the Lincoln Rodeo Arena, to a new location and to construct a larger, covered arena in order to have the ability to continue to accommodate high school rodeo events as well as other equestrian related events," Langle said in a prepared statement. "The new covered arena will be substantially larger that the existing arena and it will be an 'all-weather' facility."Langle added that the club is looking at several potential sites within the city's sphere of influence."In order to acquire a suitable new site, the existing property must be sold," he said in the statement.According to Langle, the decision to move the existing facility was prompted by a number of factors, including "the incompatibility of the existing facility with the retail businesses and other land uses that have sprung up around the facility in recent years, the fact that it is steadily becoming more difficult and more dangerous for stock trailers and motor vehicles to safely enter and exit the existing facility, as well as the fact that our board believes that an affordable larger site, in a safer location, will soon become unavailable as the result of rapid growth and rising land values in the surrounding Lincoln area."Langle said that 2 ½ years ago, a developer approached the club with a proposal to exchange the arena land for 15 acres on Nelson Lane near the airport. The Lincoln Riders Club entered into a contract with the developer, but the buyer backed out shortly before escrow was due to close, Langle said. Although the developer said he might have another offer forthcoming, nothing materialized, Langle added. "During that time, we had looked at other properties we might acquire," he said. "We are looking for a 60- to 100-acre parcel."Langle said one decision the Lincoln Riders Club made was to continue to subsidize the high school rodeo, which is a nonprofit entity. The rent District 3 pays just covers property taxes and insurance costs, he said."If you look historically at the rodeo grounds, it's idle about 90 percent of the time," he said. "One of the things we realized is that we would have a high overhead with no income at a new facility. We will try to generate enough income to make the operation self-sufficient."To that end, he said, the club would rent out the new facility for other equestrian events.The sales contract that fell through stipulated that the buyer would not be able to take physical possession of the arena until the rodeo season was over. Langle said a similar stipulation would be made with any contracts in the future.He said there are no pending offers at this time, however."Whatever we do, we wouldn't want to interrupt the rodeo season," he said. "When and if we get an offer, one thing we would put in is a condition they couldn't do that."