The Washington County Land Use and Planning Committee on an unspecified date received a quarterly update on the Fairpark modernization project, including current construction progress, remaining funding and possible additional capital needs at the Ziegler Building.

Jamie Ludovic, a facilities department staff member who presented the report, said that "the facility is well on its way under construction" and that "most of the lighting, a lot of the outdoor lighting has been started and has been completed." She said indoor work in the pavilion and the Ziegler Center is planned for a concentrated period in December and that projects are "expected to be completed by May 31." Ludovic also told the committee that the packet showed the “debt issuance and 4 projects out at Fairpark,” and that the report breaks out design/engineering and the Will Surge contract.

The update included an accounting of borrowed funds versus committed spending. Ludovic said the report shows about $2,100,000 available from the borrowing for Fairpark infrastructure, but that expected and potential expenses could reduce that balance. "There are a number of change orders that are coming up as we're going throughout the project, so we've been kinda monitoring that to see, how much of the funding would be available for that," she said.

Committee members asked for clarifications about items that may require additional funding. Supervisor Konrath asked whether repairs to original equipment at the Ziegler Building—pumps and furnaces—would have budget implications and whether the county would try to include those in the Fairpark borrowing or handle them through the facilities capital improvement program. Ludovic said the facilities department is “robustly going through all of the physical assets out there” and will identify assets nearing end of life over a roughly five-year window so funding needs can be bundled and prioritized.

The presentation also discussed several line items and contractors. Ludovic described "Branch Pattern" as the design‑engineering and construction‑management firm that handled acoustics and AV consulting for the project and explained why an arbitrage payment occurred: under public financing rules the county must pay back excess interest earnings when earnings on bond proceeds exceed the borrowed rate. Chair and supervisors questioned who receives arbitrage payments; Ludovic said that is handled by the financing parties.

Other items noted in the packet included earlier work charged to the Fairpark borrowing—such as a Horse Arena project from 2024—and several pending change orders (pavilion floor, entrance furniture, relocation of Farm Bureau utilities) for which cost estimates were not yet finalized. On site security, Ludovic said the current “security bollards” are planters and that staff are still prioritizing whether to keep or change those measures.

Ludovic invited additional questions or requests for more detailed breakdowns and said the facilities team will meet with the county executive and internal teams before making formal funding recommendations.

The committee did not take a formal vote on this informational report.