Representatives of the Weston County Fairgrounds told county officials at a recent meeting that the fairgrounds is operating largely with part-time staff, has a modest operating shortfall this year and needs county help to address utilities, drainage and maintenance ahead of the next event season.

The fairgrounds representatives said the board hired two part‑time maintenance workers who began June 1 and that the year‑round office employee, Annie, moves to a full summer schedule. The group reported year‑to‑date income of $39,550.10, a checking account balance they listed as $25,969.91 and an out‑of‑budget personnel/expense gap they described as $13,580.19. Those figures, the representatives said, do not yet include anticipated ARPA funds for June.

Fairgrounds leaders said they are running operations with a mix of part‑time staff to avoid full‑time benefit costs. "We brought two people on. They started June 1," a fairgrounds representative said, describing the decision to limit hours so hires remain part time (maximum of 26 hours per week under the board's plan). The board discussed a scenario of three part‑time maintenance hires at roughly 20 hours per week each to provide about 60 hours of maintenance coverage during busy weeks; the presenters gave a rough annual wage projection for that staffing level in the range discussed at the meeting (figures cited included $52,000 and a higher estimate near $67,000 depending on peak‑season hours).

Officials and residents raised several infrastructure issues. The fairgrounds reported a previously unrecognized water leak tied to meters near the loadout area; staff said they replaced a water line to the north corner of the indoor arena and that some meter setups are separate for the search‑and‑rescue building and other facilities. The fairgrounds said water usage billed this year accounted for about $9,000 under usage forms for county entities using the facilities, and that a recent large bill included sewer charges tied to multiple meters on site.

Board members also asked the county for equipment and labor assistance to address standing drainage problems, sand hauling and repairs to the rock retaining wall around the track. The group proposed placing $25,000 remaining in this year's fairgrounds budget into a treasurer‑held sinking fund specifically dedicated to the rock wall and related repairs. "You can have a sinking fund," the county treasurer explained at the meeting, adding that such an account is held by the treasurer and may be restricted to a single, specified purpose.

County officials cautioned that available county cash is often encumbered by legal and programmatic restrictions. The treasurer and other county staff described several large county funds (road construction, landfill, match dollars for grants) that cannot be repurposed, and noted that some revenue streams reflect long‑standing allocations from the county mill levy. A county official said some statutory duties — for example, funding the library, sheriff's office and mandated public defender costs — leave limited discretionary funds for other projects.

Fairgrounds representatives asked the commissioners for two things: (1) help with one‑time repairs and equipment (grading, hauling sand, addressing drainage), and (2) guidance on using the $25,000 year‑end remainder either as an operating cushion or to seed the sinking fund. Commissioners asked staff to provide specific cost estimates for the rock wall and door repairs on the indoor arena and requested clearer revenue projections so they could evaluate whether county assistance or one‑time transfers were feasible.

Meeting participants discussed possible revenue strategies the fairgrounds has pursued, including revising rental and vendor fees, charging reservation deposits for the indoor arena and discounting rates for some community groups. The presenters said some vendor and user income is already collected and that a number of county entities use the facilities at discounted or county‑accounted rates.

Next steps recorded in the discussion: fairgrounds staff will bring cost estimates and an itemized list of needs (including a quote for sliding doors and track/rock‑wall repairs) to county staff; the treasurer described how donations and budget surpluses could be placed into a treasurer‑held sinking account restricted to those repairs; commissioners asked to see the numbers before committing county equipment or funds.

The fairgrounds representatives emphasized that improved maintenance and repairs could increase rentals and revenue. "If it was maintained, more people would want to come and rent the facility," a fairgrounds speaker said.