| Polo
given a year
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The Portsmouth Town Council strikes a deal that will allow
Glen Farm Polo Productions to remain at the site through the
2001 season.
By
Joe Baker
Daily News Staff
Portsmouth
- After weeks of unsuccessful negotiations, it took the Town
Council about 15 minutes Monday night to broker a deal that
will allow polo to continue for another year at Glen Farm.
The
deal will allow both Glen Farm Polo Productions and
Glen Farm Equestrian Center to co-exist for nine months.
Dan Keating, head of the polo group, has leased the
farm from the town for international polo matches since
1990. That 10 year lease expires at the end of
December. In June, the council decided to lease
the farm to the equestrian group, run by Tim Harvey.
Keating sought a nine-month extension to find another
site, but could not reach an agreement with Harvey. |
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Keating
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Under
the agreement approved by the council, Keating will pay the
town the $25,000 annual lease fee and continue using part
of the Glen Farm property for the 2001 polo season.
The equestrian group will essentially be allowed to use the
rest of the site for free. Its five-year paid lease
will begin next October.
Keating's supporters jammed the council chambers awaiting
the meeting Monday night. But no sooner did Council
President Stephen P. Pappas call the meeting to order than
he announced the council would meet in private with Keating
and Harvey to discuss the issue.
About 15 minutes later, the council emerged and announced,
to loud applause, that both sides had reached an agreement
that would allow polo to continue at Glen Farm for one more
year.
"There will be a nine-month extension of Mr. Keating's
lease," Pappas said. "Both parties have agreed
to co-exist for nine months."
Keating said he will get to use about half the space he had
before for the same price.
"It's the bare minimum (space) we need to survive,"
he said.
This gives both sides time to organize, council member Kevin
Gavin sail. Keating gets time to find a new site and
Harvey gets time to organize without having to pay a lease.
"They both get nine months transition," Gavin said.
"They're all happy," Pappas said.
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