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Commissioners weigh fairgrounds staffing, maintenance and city partnership as volunteer base shrinks
Summary
Speakers at a Stark County listening session discussed hiring an events coordinator or facilities manager, formalizing maintenance responsibilities, coordinating with the City of Dickinson, and pursuing grants to support a growing fairgrounds program.
Stark County commissioners and community members used a public listening meeting to explore options for managing the county fairgrounds, including whether to hire a promotions/events coordinator, a facilities manager, or both.
"If there's more events, then that would lead me to be more inclined to say, the person that comes in would need to have events, promotion, and coordination skill set," Speaker 1 said, noting a need to balance promotion against on-site maintenance tasks. Participants described a busy calendar of events — many weekends, weekly barrel racing and rodeos — and emphasized that much event maintenance is labor-intensive and currently relies on volunteers or renters.
Speakers repeatedly raised the volunteer shortage and the fragility of the current fair association. "The fair board's all volunteers. Very fragile... once we start losing members, it's gonna come back to the park board," Speaker 2 said. Several attendees recommended clarifying roles between the park board, the fair association and the Roughrider Commission, and suggested a clear job description is vital to attract qualified staff.
County officials proposed several operational options: keep maintenance under county departments (road/grounds), hire third-party contractors for specialized tasks (dirt conditioning, arena prep), or create a promoted position that could be shared or coordinated with the City of Dickinson. "Could we share a position with them?" Speaker 4 asked, proposing a collaboration so the county could leverage Dickinson's marketing capacity while preserving county priorities.
Speakers also pointed to grant and fundraising opportunities, notably USDA Rural Development, as potential sources for capital improvements (a new livestock building and a future climate-controlled facility were discussed). Community volunteers with long fairboard experience urged caution and recommended a phased approach that starts with a clear job description and measurable responsibilities.
Meeting participants ended the discussion by asking the fair association to provide more input at their next meeting and by encouraging commissioners to continue outreach to stakeholders as the county refines staffing and maintenance options.
