Stables owner reassures patrons construction of new facility is under way

Lakewood Stables owner Alex Jacobson invited the Herald to take an exclusive tour of his West Hempstead property last week to dispel rumors about its future; He wanted to reassure concerned patrons that, as promised, he is building a state-of-the-art facility there.

The invitation came after the Herald asked Jacobson to respond to posts on a Lakewood Stables Facebook page in which current and former patrons, wondering why construction is taking longer than expected, accused him of ulterior motives — namely stalling the project in order to acquire permits to build condominiums there instead. Jacobson razed the Stables’ existing structures last April and had estimated that the project would be completed by early autumn.

“Some factors have come up — weather related and construction related — and there have been some hold ups,” Jacobson said, “but I think we’ve been getting a lot done. From the street, when you drive by, you can’t really tell.”

Construction is, however, well under way: more than 30,000 square feet of the new facility’s foundation has already been installed and a 4,000-square-foot building has been erected. Jacobson has spent more than $250,000 so far and believes the project is about 50 percent complete. He said installing foundation is the most difficult part of construction, and once that’s done, the rest of the work moves quickly.

“In 85 years this facility was not improved,” Jacobson said. “I’ve undertaken a huge mission in making this a community gem and there’s a lot of work that’s been put in place already. … When it’s all said and done we’re going to have the latest and greatest in state-of-the-art equestrian centers.”

He added, “This is far from a ruse. This is a sure reality.”