Neighbors Say "No" To New Cowboy Church's Rodeo Arena

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PONDER (CBSDFW.COM) - A newly proposed rodeo arena is already kicking up dirt even before it has started to take shape in Denton County.

Residents in a quiet neighborhood in Ponder are not happy after construction started at the Denton County Cowboy Church for a new indoor rodeo arena.

The arena is currently in the preliminary stages of being built on a more than 12-acre site near Robinson Road and Madison Place.

"If I had a million dollars, I'd buy the property from them and let them go," said Becky LaDuke, a nearby resident.

The new arena would be constructed about 100 feet from several homes.

LaDuke and other residents feel the rodeo arena would not only bring noise to their community, but would also drive down home values.

Residents scheduled a neighborhood meeting on Wednesday night with a lawyer to discuss their options. Many do not believe city code will allow a rodeo arena to be built on the land due to how the property is currently zoned.

"Maybe they don't understand what we're doing," said Pastor Jeff Tackett of Denton County Cowboy Church.

Pastor Tackett said he has followed all of the rules and has the proper permits for the arena. He said building a new rodeo arena was always the plan from the start and said all of the other cowboy churches have them as well.

"We just want to be good neighbors to our neighbors and certainly don't want to offend anyone. This is a very tight-knit community of good people," said Tackett.

LaDuke and others said right now there is zero dialogue between the church and the community.

"A good neighbor wouldn't do this to residential people," said LaDuke.

Calls to the City of Ponder for comment on the situation were not returned Wednesday night.

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