If the money comes through, the Port of South Whidbey is getting into the fairground management business.
At a special meeting Wednesday, the board agreed in a 2-0 decision that the best way to know whether or not taking over the Island County Fairgrounds is an economically viable proposal is to do it. So, when the existing maintenance contract between the county and the fair association expires this April, and depending on the outcome of two grant applications, the port will take over management of the nearly 13-acre facility for a period of one year while at the same time conducting a comprehensive $85,000 feasibility study.
“The best way to learn about this facility is to run it,” Commissioner Curt Gordon said.
Commissioner Ed Halloran, who has been a voice of caution regarding the management proposal since it was first pitched by county officials this past June, agreed and together they decided to move forward. He maintained his longtime position that any permanent decision must pencil out, but said the study would be more thorough if the port had first-hand experience of the job.
Commissioner Dennis Gregoire was out of town and not present at the meeting.
The fairgrounds is owned by Island County, but has for decades been managed and maintained by the Island County Fair Association, the autonomous group that runs the annual fair. Funding hurdles, however, have strained relations between the two parties in recent years. Fair Board officials say many of the buildings are old, requiring expensive repair, or aren’t conducive to an economically sustainable facility, and county decision makers have been unwilling to commit additional funds.
A consortium of elected, private and fair officials worked last year to fund and develop a strategic plan that called for a $10 million renovation over a period of 10 years. The proposal, outlined in a $71,000 study by Anacortes-based Landerman-Moore Associates, was widely unpopular with the public and has since been largely shelved. Organizers had hoped it would be the savior of the financially strapped facility.
Subsequently, the fair association’s board decided not to renew its contract with the county, leaving commissioners on the hook for finding a new property manager. Desperate to find a taker, Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson reached out to port commissioners this summer, and Commissioner Helen Price Johnson has been working with the district and board members ever since to answer questions and cement a commitment.
Price Johnson attended the special meeting, telling the board she was there in hopes of working out an agreement but also urged the port not to delay. The grant process can take time and the county hopes to have a plan in place when the fair association’s contract expires next year.
“Our preference is to move forward,” Price Johnson said.
The port initially planned to conduct the study and then decide whether to take over management of the fairgrounds. Concern from county officials about having a replacement lined up to take over in April when the existing contract is up led to a new proposal, one where the port would apply for grant funds that would pay for both the study and one year’s worth of maintenance.
Angi Mozer, the port’s interim executive director, said the district is seeking $135,000 in Island County Rural Economic Development funds and $45,000 in state Community Economic Revitalization Board (or CERB) funds, totaling $180,000. About $95,000 of that would cover the maintenance work, funding a full-time maintenance worker, a half-time customer service and events coordinator and a one-fourth-time supervisor. The remaining $85,000 would pay for another fairgrounds study, which would include a significant public outreach and planning element.
Mozer said the April deadline will be tight but believes the funding will be awarded by then. If the money is secured, port stewardship of the property would begin in April.
