By BENNETT HALL
Gazette-Times business editor | Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:00 am
Storage structure is modest start to ambitious improvement plan
Storage sheds don't usually get their own dedication ceremonies, but the opening of a new maintenance building at the Benton County Fairgrounds drew about 30 people Monday morning for coffee, cookies and speeches by the Fair Board chairwoman and a county commissioner.
For fair officials, however, the structure is more than just a place to store riding mowers and display fixtures. It's the symbol of an ambitious self-improvement program for the county's aging fair complex.
"You'd think we wouldn't get too excited about a maintenance building," Commissioner Jay Dixon told the crowd. "But this is the first building to be completed as part of the long-range master plan for the fairgrounds."
The two-story, 4,000-square-foot structure resembles a large, metal-clad barn. It was built with $110,000 in county money that was originally earmarked for parking lot improvements, but the Fair Board persuaded the commissioners that dedicated storage space was a more pressing need.
A lot of the maintenance equipment, tools and other items being stored in the new building were previously taking up room in the Arts & Crafts Building, Fair Board member Dan Dunham said. The board now hopes to rent that building out for workshops, dances, craft fairs and other events.
"It's new space," Dunham said. "Now it's going to become a revenue generator for us."
Making the most of those income-producing opportunities is a key part of the board's plans. As the county grapples with budget shortfalls, fair officials are having to assume a greater share of the expense for maintaining facilities and operating the annual county fair, as Fair Board Chairwoman Deb Crisman noted in her dedication speech.
"These are tough times across the county, and we're struggling just to keep the doors open here. But don't think for a minute that we're going to settle for just keeping the doors open," Crisman told the audience. "We are committed to improving and expanding the fairgrounds. We don't know how we're going to do it, but we're committed."
A master plan for the fairgrounds produced last year calls for gradual improvements to the 29-acre complex at Southwest 53rd Street and Oak Creek Drive. Broken down into three six-year phases, the plan calls for about $14 million worth of upgrades. The first phase envisions nearly $7 miilion worth of work, including renovations to the livestock arena, a new exhibit hall and lighting and resurfacing of the parking lot.
County officials have made it clear they don't have the funds to pay for all the improvements.
"Financing them is a big issue," said Commissioner Linda Modrell. "The county does not have the money, so there has to be a strategy."
The board's working on that now, said member Penny York, who oversaw the planning process during her term as chairwoman. Fundraising ideas range from holding annual community drives to offering "naming opportunities" in exchange for major donations to asking voters to approve a bond issue or tax levy.
"We're going to look at public and private sources," York said.
Bennett Hall is the business editor for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at 758-9529 or bennett.hall@lee.net.
Quick fact
Officials plan $14 million worth of improvements to Benton County Fairgrounds.