One of the biggest surprises – and announcements – from Mayor Tom Henry’s State of the City address had little to do with city government at all.Dare to Dream Youth Ranch Inc. has the go-ahead to giddyup.
The Allen County Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday agreed to allow the non-profit organization to continue operation and add an indoor arena to house year-round horse-riding activities for needy and abused youths.
Chief Executive Officer Greg Ranney said when he took over leadership at the Fort Wayne ranch, 6020 W. Wallen Road, he didn’t know it wasn’t zoned properly.
“I came down to get a permit for the arena and then I found out,” said Ranney, who is retired from automotive sales management.
“We want everything to be aboveboard.”
The ranch caters mostly to children ages 4 to 18. Last year, about 1,500 kids frequented the establishment, which is open from April to November. Ranney said that figure could grow to as many as 5,000 students annually with the ranch expanding its offerings.
The arena will span at least 10,000 square feet on the ranch’s 10 acres. Volunteers help run the stables, which have nine horses and two ponies. The ranch also serves as a refuge for neglected horses.
“This isn’t just a Fort Wayne thing,” Ranney told board members, adding that the ranch has drawn interest from groups in other parts of the state and Michigan.
James Logue was one of two of Ranney’s neighbors to speak against the ranch’s expansion. Parking, horses in the road, noise and manure were among the concerns.
“It’s tough to dodge deer, but it’s tougher to dodge horses,” Logue said.
He also complained about “piles of manure” in the road, calling the deposits “not very neighborly.”
Ranney said most of the complaints were problems that existed before he took the reins.
“We don’t even allow the horses to ride in the street,” he told the board.
As far as traffic, visitors at the ranch are there for 90-minute intervals, Ranney said, so congestion won’t pose a problem even as the ranch grows in size and in the number of children it serves.
With roughly $82,000 for operation costs, organizers hope to have the arena built by November, Ranney said. Besides youths at risk, the ranch opens its doors to other groups.
“We have home-school groups and others,” Ranney said after the meeting.
“We are open to the public, but primarily we serve children with problems.”
Officers
The zoning board named its officers for the year. They are: Ken Neumeister, chairman; and Thomas C. Black, vice chairman. Paul Blisk, deputy land-use director of the city-county land-use department, will serve as secretary. The board also welcomed Ronald Kohart to the panel as a member.
