PERMITS ISSUED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF GLOBAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL GROUNDS IN WELLINGTON
13 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on PERMITS ISSUED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF GLOBAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL GROUNDS IN WELLINGTON
WELLINGTON, Florida, May 5–Permits have been issued to begin construction immediately of the new Global Dressage Festival show grounds in Wellington and to enable shows to be held beginning in December this year.
Equestrian Sport Productions announced Thursday that the official ground breaking ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 at the Old Polo Stadium that is part of Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
Approvals were for:
1. A land development permit allowing construction to begin of the dressage show grounds that will be home to the GDF, including six arenas with the same state of the art footing in PBIEC’s International Arena.
2. A special use permit officially allowing ESP to hold dressage competitions on the property from November to April 30, 2012.
Plans for a condominium hotel and a commercial plaza are not included in the permits that have been issued and are a second step in the development.
ESP, which has spent about $25 million in the past three years completely rebuilding PBIEC into into one of the world’s top equestrian venues, said it is confident the facility will be completed and ready for use before the 2012 season.
“I am thrilled to announce this groundbreaking, which is the next step in what we believe will become the finest dressage facility in the world, as well as an historic day for the Wellington equestrian community,” said Mark Bellissimo, founding partner of the Wellington Equestrian Partners and Chief Executive Officer of Equestrian Sport Productions.
An open invitation was issued for the groundbreaking celebration at the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Pierson Road in Wellington, where the grass derby stadium is located. Several members of the Executive Board of the Global Dressage Festival, including Mark Bellissimo, Michael Stone, Robert Dover, Kim Boyer and Ken Braddick will be present to answer questions about the upcoming shows and construction plans for the new facility.
Within days of the announcement in March of plans to create the new dressage facility, individuals and businesses provided sponsorships. They are:
$50,000 Level Founding Sponsors:
– Karin Offield & Offield Farm in support of Lingh, Harbor Spring, Michigan
– Victoria McCullough of Wellington, Florida, and Chesapeake Petroleum
– Matt Varney, Rob and Chris Desino of Wellington Equestrian Realty
$25,000 Level Founding Sponsors:
– Joe and Gaye Scarpa & Magnolia Farm, Wellington, Florida
– The Kane Family & Diamante Farms, Wellington, Florida
– Carol & Rebecca Cohen & Two Swans Farm LLC, Wellington, Florida
– Kim Boyer and United States P.R.E. Association (USPRE), Fruitport, Michigan
– Chesapeake Dressage Institute and William F. Pearson and Janet Richardson-Pearson, Annapolis, Maryland
– Stillpoint Farm and The Page Family, Wellington, Florida
– Tamara Gerber and American Humane Association of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
