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Board agrees to repurpose former caretaker house for Buildings & Grounds and fair office needs
Summary
With OSU set to vacate a rental on site, the Fair Board voted to use Building 20 (the old caretaker house) to improve buildings-and-grounds efficiency and provide meeting/office space for fair staff.
Fair staff reported that Oregon State University (OSU) planned to vacate a rental unit on the fairgrounds (the former caretaker house). Staff and board members discussed whether to re-rent the unit or repurpose it for internal use. Board members noted the difficulties of having a tenant on site (tenant management, cleaning, potential liability) and the operational benefits of having consolidated staff office and meeting space for Buildings & Grounds and fair administration.
Why it matters: The building currently brings modest rental revenue (staff cited roughly $630–$695 per month) but converting it to staff/operations space could reduce hotel and travel costs for contractors, centralize staff, and improve day-to-day operations during busy periods like Fair. The board weighed the trade-off between small recurring revenue and operational efficiency.
Decision: A board member moved that Building 20 be used "to help efficiencies and operations for buildings and grounds and the fairgrounds office" and that its use be at staff discretion. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Next steps: Staff will begin planning how Buildings & Grounds and fair administration will occupy and use Building 20, including discussion of janitorial needs, furnishings and phased transition when OSU vacates. The board noted that repurposing is reversible but that re-leasing could create tenancy-management challenges later.
Ending: The board approved internal-use of the building to support operations and directed staff to plan the transition.
