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Morrow County prioritizes fairgrounds flood mitigation and stadium stabilization
Summary
County presenters and commissioners elevated flood‑mitigation as a prerequisite for larger fairgrounds projects and recommended stadium stabilization and ADA upgrades as safety priorities; a detailed flood‑mitigation feasibility study was estimated at $80,000.
Morrow County commissioners and CIP advisory committee members singled out flood mitigation and safety upgrades at the county fairgrounds as immediate priorities. Committee members said prior high‑level flood work for a nearby site cost about $1.52 million and that a detailed feasibility study for the fairgrounds would cost roughly $80,000 and is required before larger redevelopment.
A committee member described structural problems at the fairground football stadium: "The wall on the west end of the stadium... the ground itself is kind of moving north," and noted broken concrete, non‑ADA railings and the need for new bleachers and steps. The presenter gave a preliminary stabilization estimate of about $350,000 for shoring walls, replacing barriers with eco blocks and expanding ADA parking and access.
On the larger fairgrounds site, the committee recommended treating flood mitigation as a prerequisite for any footprint‑expanding work. "Until we get the floodplain mitigated, we are limited to only remodeling or restoring buildings in place," the presenter said. The committee suggested pursuing grants (including business and port‑related funding paths) where eligible and keeping other fairground projects in an "extend" category until mitigation is completed.
Next steps: the county will consider an $80,000 feasibility study and pursue grant options to fund flood mitigation, then return recommendations for design and funding once the study is complete.
