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County receives fairgrounds update; board staff to pursue governance and cleanup steps
Summary
The committee received a quarterly update on the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. County staff said FMC will fund a roughly $500,000 cleanup of paintball tenant debris, the Speed City project remains under review, and the county will pursue structural governance changes to better coordinate long‑term planning and day‑to‑day operations.
County staff and representatives of the Fairgrounds Management Corporation briefed the Finance and Government Operations Committee on March 18 on ongoing operations and planning at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
Deputy County Executive Consuelo Hernandez and Fairgrounds representatives said there is not a formal presentation but that requested operational information was included in the committee packet. Staff reported progress on three non‑FMC projects: San Jose State University’s proposed Speed City project (staffing and project management changes have slowed progress), continued security costs tied to an RV parked on the site, and an agreement to remove debris left by a paintball tenant.
“We are, in the process of working towards an agreement to go ahead and move forward with the cleanup of that area,” said Supervisor Celine Duarte, identified in the meeting as co‑interim director of the Fairgrounds Management Corporation. FMC staff told the committee the cleanup contract is about $500,000 and that FMC intends to fund the work from its own monies rather than seek county funds at this time.
Committee members emphasized the fairgrounds’ location in a densely populated area and urged that any visioning or redevelopment center community benefit. Members discussed a parks and recreation feasibility study scheduled for spring and urged that the study account for current operational uses — for example, flexible space that sometimes serves as parking during events.
County staff and FMC also discussed a governance issue the committee has raised previously: the distribution of responsibilities between county administration (long‑term planning) and FMC (day‑to‑day operations). County administration said it will bring an item on structural changes back to the committee and then to the full board; staff said restructuring governance would allow the county to pursue a sustained long‑term plan for the fairgrounds.
The committee voted to receive the report.
