In the story “Pleasant Valley Horse club requests refund” published in the Houston Today April 26 issue, it was reported that the Pleasant Valley Horse club (PVHC) requested to be refunded for Pleasant Valley Days and the B.C. Barrel Blitz and a waiver for this and subsequent years. Houston council directed tabled the request and directed staff to aquire more information. At the District of Houston council meeting on May 16, staff recommended to council that they approve the PVHC requests for a refund of special events fees for the 2016 Pleasant Valley Days event, but to deny the PVHC request for a refund of special event fees for the 2016 B.C. Barrel Racing Association event. “We are refunding the special event fees for the 2016 Pleasant Valley Days event, as the 2003 Policy which had been followed until 2014 stipulated that Pleasant Valley Days (Victoria Day Long weekend) would be exempt from special event user fees,” said Gerald Pinchbeck, Corporate Services officer for the District of Houston, to Houston Today. “The 2016 BC Barrel Racing Association event is not being refunded as it occurred from August 26-28, which was outside the exemption period stipulated by the policy.ch was outside the exemption period stipulated by the policy.” “Part of the discussion last meeting was for staff to investigate a user agreement or lease, so I just want to make sure that the intent the is still there and will be presented at the next meeting,” said counsellor Jonathan Van Barneveld. Houston mayor, Shane Brienen, said that what he would like to see come out of this is a table discussion where council members, district staff, and the PVHC sit down to discuss the alleviation of fees and user agreement will look like. “What I would like to see is somewhere in June we sit down with PVHC and district staff and work out a new agreement of understanding and review all those rates and fees,” said Brienen. Van Baranveld said in addition to that he would like to have it formally written what tasks the PVHC oversees at the Four Seasons ground and what staff at the District of Houston cover. “I really believe that this is one club that puts a lot of work in [to Four Seasons] and we have to factor that in somehow in the user agreement,” said Brienen. Don Hounsell, manager of operations and engineering at the District of Houston welcomes the help of the PVHC. “We are under a tremendous amount of pressure right now to do a lot of things with a very few people, with very few dollars,” said Hounsell. Houston council resolved to approve the recommendation of refunding PVHC for special event fees for the 2016 Pleasant Valley Days event, but to deny refund for the 2016 B.C. Barrel Racing Association event. The club will be refunded a total of $337.16.
