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Commissioners hear safety warning after arena light pole begins twisting; permit deadlines, costs and short‑term options discussed
Summary
A county lighting contractor reported an 80‑foot arena light pole has begun to twist about 15–20 feet up, creating a potential safety issue. County building staff said temporary permits and a building permit will expire in mid‑March, prompting commissioners to request bids and funding options for LED metal pole replacement versus interim fixes.
County commissioners were briefed Feb. 11 on a deteriorating 80‑foot arena light pole and an unresolved egress‑lighting requirement for the newly built rodeo viewing platform; staff and a lighting contractor said the condition raises safety and permitting concerns ahead of a large spring event.
Charlie Baron, who discussed the lighting condition at the fairgrounds, said the south arena pole is twisting about 15–20 feet above grade; photographs he presented show the structure rotated significantly from its original alignment. Baron said several fixtures on the lighting structures are obsolete and multiple fixtures are out of service. “The south light pole, 80 foot light pole on the arena is starting to twist about 15 to 20 feet up,” Baron said. “That light structure used to be parallel with the fence and it has turned almost 90 degrees now.”
Baron and other staff discussed options and costs. One option is replacing all poles and fixtures with metal poles and LED fixtures to provide instant‑on egress lighting and battery backup; Baron said a full replacement estimate discussed with a vendor would be roughly $300,000 (vendor estimate provided to the county), while a more limited retrofit or partial solution he described would be about $170,000. Baron cautioned that splitting the work over time increases total cost because controls and generator requirements should be included in a full replacement.
Lauren, the county’s community development director, described the permitting backdrop: multiple temporary certificates of occupancy (COs) have been issued for the rodeo viewing platform in prior years; the temporary CO issued in August is set to expire in mid‑March and a recently reissued building permit also has a 180‑day term that will expire in mid‑March unless extended. Lauren said plan reviewers approved lighting plans last summer but the permit work must be finaled. “We can issue extensions for building permits. We’ve done that in the past. And I think an extension to allow this to be fixed, obviously, is something we would support,” Lauren said. She also cautioned about setting precedents for temporary variances and asked the county to lead on a path to permanent compliance.
Commissioners heard operational implications if the platform remains unusable: Greg (county staff) said losing use of the deck could reduce revenue by roughly “about $400,000–$500,000” (figure given as an approximation in the meeting) and noted a Washington State High School Rodeo finals event is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend with about 450 participants and accompanying family members. Commissioners pressed for a quick estimate and recommended seeking bids to clarify costs. They also asked staff to explore funding options, including foundation support and possible port or economic development loans, while acknowledging timing and procurement constraints for ordered materials.
No formal procurement or appropriation was approved at the workshop. Commissioners directed staff to obtain bids for pole replacement and to return with funding options and a recommended timeline so the board can decide whether to fund a full LED/metal replacement, a staged approach or a short‑term fix and to clarify options for any permit extension or variance required to keep the platform usable until permanent work is complete.
