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Pryor said demolition would cost $175,000. The Parks Board, Pryor and county staff agreed demolition would be the best option.

“I would just ask that we don’t act hastily in this,” Joel Vanderveur said. “Once it's gone, it’s gone forever. I know most of the fields now is soccer. It’s great to have that green space, but this is going to be the last vestige of the character which is Polo Fields.”

In 2022 the county secured a lease agreement with the United Futbol Academy on the athletic side of the fields that is successful and generates $80,000 a year, Pryor said at the Nov. 22 meeting.

Real estate attorney Jennifer Vanderveur said she has a long background with horses, and she requested the board reopen the process to find an alternative to demolition.

“I would like to take an opportunity to submit a business plan that I think would be a very viable option for the county,” Vanderveur said. “I understand that the method of doing this would be to reopen the bidding process, and so I humbly ask that before demolishing this iconic landmark that the board take one more chance to see if we could find an opportunity to create a real equestrian center on this Polo Fields.”

Resident Kenneth Deboard also supported preserving the facility due to its history and significant interest in the community.

Alexandra Sympson, a Cincinnati resident with over 20 years of experience in the equestrian field, said she is in the process of moving to Forsyth County, and the center at Polo Fields drew her to the area.

“Polo Fields are in a really advantageous area to reach a lot of the community here,” Sympson said, and she supports the Vanderveurs’ request for preservation.