The Village of Wellington Council voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to allow them to move ahead with the 2012-2013 Global Dressage Festival (GDF) competition schedule at the new dressage facility at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC)
during the 2013 winter show circuit.
The five-member village council met on August 14 to vote on operating issues that included stabling, operating hours, and other details of the venue and competition. The final vote was 4-0 in favor of the dressage competitions, with one councilman, John Greene, recusing himself from the vote for personal reasons. The final vote summarily rejected crippling conditions requested in a letter by Lou Jacobs.
"We are very pleased with the results of last night's vote and can now proceed with the 2013 Global Dressage Festival," stated ESP CEO Mark Bellissimo. "We applaud the Village Council for recognizing the economic contributions of dressage and the Global Dressage Festival to the health of the local equestrian industry and community of Wellington."
Bellissimo added, "I am confident that had John Greene voted it would have been a 5-0 vote, which sends a clear message to the community and the world that the GDF is an integral part of Wellington's equestrian offerings. We look forward to having a record year with this very important event and thank the community and industry for their support."
ESP President Michael Stone said, "We look forward to welcoming the dressage world to Wellington again this winter. We are pleased that the Village Council voted in favor of dressage and we hope to ensure that dressage has a permanent home at The Stadium at PBIEC."
The Global Dressage Festival will be operational within the November 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013 timeframe. ESP will work with the local residential communities to ensure a smooth season. Bellissimo added, "We are going to take an extra step and organize a community meeting for nearby residents in advance of the event to establish a feedback mechanism and a communication pipeline with our event staff."
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