Neighbor’s rodeo irks Wilroads residents

    Noe Ochoa only wanted to host a rodeo on his property near Wilroads Gardens in Ford County, with about 175 people in attendance.
    But for Ochoa's neighbors, his desire to host the event in his back yard was a public nuisance.
    Ochoa appeared before the Ford County Commission on Monday as commissioners weighed the next step to take in a two-year battle to allow a Mexican-style rodeo on Ochoa's property. Eventually, the commission decided to deny Ochoa a special events permit.
    Mark Shriwise with the county planning/zoning and environmental health department said he has been working with Ochoa for the past two years, trying to figure out a way for him to have his rodeo.
    Shriwise said he had never granted Ochoa a special events permit because he didn't think his property was large enough. Shriwise added that large numbers of vehicles driving along residential streets posed a danger, and the entire area was too close to other homes.
    "About two months later, he had a big rodeo," Shriwise said. "That's when the music got so loud the neighbors couldn't hear."
    The county fined Ochoa $200, which he promptly paid. He then attempted to receive another special events permit from the county, which was again denied.
    Shriwise said even though Ochoa expected between 100 and 175 people to attend the rodeo, the five acres he owned wasn't nearly large enough to house up to 20 horses as well as livestock and living arrangements.
    Mike Stegman, a neighbor of Ochoa, said he was tired of dealing with people in the area who were drinking and making lots of noise. Stegman said there have been at least 15 rodeo-like events in the past.
    "Sometimes it's so loud I can't hear my TV in my house with windows closed," he said.
    Shriwise said after he sent a letter to neighbors in the area about Ochoa's desire to host a rodeo, he received close to 20 responses asking the county to block it.
    Ochoa defended the rodeos he had hosted so far, saying that many of them were simply practice runs, which did not require a permit. He went on to say there were only around five or six people who practice roping.
    "Yes, sometimes there are issues with the noise," Ochoa said after the meeting. "But it's only been two times this year. That was it."
    Shriwise said there was a small rodeo on Ochoa's property Sunday evening, which he hosted without permission from the county. Ochoa said roughly 100 people were in attendance.
    Ochoa told commissioners that he had looked at renting Dodge City Roundup Arena but could not afford the rental fee, especially because there was no charge for attending the rodeo.
    Commissioner John Swayze said he wasn't opposed to Ochoa hosting a rodeo, but his choice to try and host the events in a residential area didn't sit well with him.
    "What you're doing is great," Swayze said. "But we've got to deal with neighbors. I think if you could find another place, that would be the answer."
    Both Shriwise and Commission Chairman Kim Goodnight echoed Swayze's comments, telling Ochoa to reapply once he had found an area more suitable for a rodeo.
    Ochoa said he was disappointed that he did not receive the permit, but would look for a new spot and eventually return to the commission.
    "For us, it's about tradition," he said. "We'll keep trying to get it approved."
   
Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail him at mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.