Commissioners discuss fairgrounds management, Agriplex HVAC questions and volunteer shortages

A lengthy discussion at the meeting focused on fairgrounds operations, volunteer recruitment for fair advisory roles and facility issues at the Agriplex and fair annex.

Lede: County staff and commissioners described maintenance and operational problems at the fairgrounds annex and Agriplex, including a mold problem at the annex and the difficulty of air-conditioning a 22,000‑square‑foot Agriplex building with large open doors during events. Commissioners also discussed governance options for the fair, including creating a nonprofit to manage operations and reduce county purchasing constraints.

Nut graf: County officials said the fair is a major community event but is also administratively complex because public‑sector purchasing and oversight rules apply to gate receipts and donations. Commissioners discussed a proposal to contract fair operations to a nonprofit that would receive county funds under a contract; commissioners said this could reduce red tape and simplify handling of donated funds used for youth award programs.

Facility and operations details Nick, the fairgrounds manager, reported a small mold problem in the annex that crews have sealed and begun repairing, and described efforts to test HVAC and exhaust fans at the Agriplex. He told commissioners the Agriplex has units that provide some cooling but cannot fully air-condition the building for major events because doors are opened during fairs. Staff described possible fixes including restoring an exhaust fan on the building’s north end and investigating floor-based heating/cooling systems used at similar hangars.

Governance and volunteers Commissioners expressed interest in recruiting additional volunteers to fill fair advisory committee slots (the packet showed 11 slots; at the meeting commissioners said only three volunteers were in place). Commissioners discussed conducting background checks before appointing volunteers and agreed to pursue required background screening for candidates before final appointments. Several commissioners also said they would explore forming a nonprofit or contracting with an outside entity to run the fair under a county contract, which would change donation handling and purchasing rules.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to proceed with background checks for fair-board candidates, to monitor annex repairs and to provide estimates if the county pursues nonprofit contracting options for fair operations.