A group trying to save the Palatine Stables has filed a second lawsuit.
Courtesy Palatine Park District
A group of citizens who want to save the Palatine Stables filed a second lawsuit to stop the Palatine Park District from closing the facility near Northwest Highway and Dundee Road by Nov. 30.
The new suit in Cook County is seeking an injunction to prevent the closure. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.
The group is questioning the park district’s authority to demolish the property. Additionally, the suit raises concerns about the treatment of the horses.
The first lawsuit was based on allegations of Open Meetings Act violations. Advocates have maintained the park board failed to give adequate notice of the vote to close the stables and that the agenda item listed did not clearly describe the board’s action. The board wound up taking a second vote to affirm their earlier decision, out of concern for a possible violation of the Open Meetings Act.
Since the park board’s decision May 13, park board meetings have been crammed with people pleading with commissioners to change their decision, citing the impact on children who use the programs, especially those with special needs.
“These people want their voices to be heard,” the group’s attorney, James Vasselli, said. “They don’t think that they are being heard.”
He said the group is especially concerned about three older horses, Charlie, Renny and Yeller. They cannot be sent to a sanctuary and, advocates said, the district will not pay for their retirement. They are now in danger, they said.
The board has maintained the stables are in need of expensive repairs.
“The decision to close the Stables was not made lightly; it was driven by our duty to ensure the safety of our staff and volunteers and the well-being of the horses. Two independent engineering studies revealed significant structural deficiencies, making it unsafe for horses, visitors and staff,” park board President Terry Ruff said in a recent statement on behalf of the commissioners.
Ruff also denied any mistreatment of the horses.
Only one commissioner, Sue Gould, has consistently opposed closing the stables.