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Fairgrounds and county facilities: irrigation well, building repairs and staffing projects discussed
Summary
County staff updated commissioners on fairgrounds projects including an irrigation well deemed unusable, bids for a new well before May 31, building repairs, event scheduling, and options for repurposing interior space for janitorial or kitchen use.
County staff briefed the Okanogan County commissioners on multiple facilities and fairgrounds items, including inspection results showing one irrigation well is beyond repair and plans to drill a new well before the busy season.
Staff said a domestic well inspected with a camera appeared in good condition at roughly 60 feet, while an irrigation well was described as “junk,” with collapsed casing and debris that prevented the camera from descending beyond about 40 feet. Staff recommended abandoning the irrigation well and drilling a new one before May 31 to ensure irrigation and operations can continue through the summer.
The update covered fairgrounds building repairs and adaptive uses: portions of older restrooms are torn out and will need new bridge caps and wall sheathing; staff proposed converting part of the women’s side near the food court to a janitorial room and evaluating the street-side side for a small kitchen or rental-ready vendor space. Staff noted they would avoid purchasing brand-new commercial kitchen equipment but could add minimal infrastructure to increase rental revenue.
Other fairgrounds items included completed arts-and-crafts displays, pending bids for a dry-well, the RV show vacating the facility, and upcoming events including Okanogan Booster (Thursday), Rocky Mountain Elk, and a business week. Staff said they were moving outdoor projects forward now that indoor shows concluded.
Maintenance and facilities updates elsewhere included replacing carpet in the prosecutor’s office, ongoing work on windows and doors in the courthouse where staff withheld final payment to a contractor until draft and fit issues are corrected, and plans to bring out and reinstall a cooling unit at the jail with no immediate crane charge expected. Staff will obtain quotes for new jail flooring and check VAV boxes and air controllers as part of spring maintenance.
No formal decisions or votes were recorded on the record for these facility items; staff said they would proceed with bidding, scheduling, and follow-up as discussed and return to commissioners with estimates and recommendations where needed.
