Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fairgrounds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Agricultural Society outlines $615,905 in fairgrounds investments and seeks clearer contract terms with Ulster County
Summary
Agricultural Society representatives told the Ulster County committee they have invested $615,905 in the fairgrounds since 2016 and asked for clearer licensing terms, audited financials and help with volunteer and event-planning risks; county staff discussed contract-term limits and options including insurance or EDA/IDA involvement.
Representatives of the Agricultural Society, introduced as John Fitzpatrick and Dara Kapaskki, briefed the Ulster County Public Works and Capital Projects Committee on investments and operations at the county fairgrounds.
Kapaskki said the society and grant partners have invested a cumulative $615,905 into the fairgrounds since 2016, with roughly $484,000 coming from grants and $131,905 from society funds. The society reported ongoing licensing-agreement negotiations with county staff and said it will provide a redline of the draft agreement; the county committee indicated it expects audited financial statements as part of that process.
Committee members and deputy executive staff discussed operational expectations, volunteer shortages, and possible ways to mitigate multi-year planning risk. Legislator Litz noted state law limits county contracts to five years and asked whether rolling or evergreen contracts would be permissible; county counsel had previously advised against such arrangements, so staff proposed alternatives including timing contract negotiations earlier, event insurance, indemnity options, or transferring longer-term contracts to entities such as the EDA or IDA.
On sustainability and operations, the society described steps to expand pollinator-friendly plantings, additional AEDs, improved no-smoking signage, and composting/food-waste efforts used in prior years. Committee staff encouraged the society to engage county volunteers and to make audited financials available before finalizing a new multi-year contract.
Next steps: the Agricultural Society was asked to provide updated audited financials and the redline of the licensing agreement; committee and executive staff will continue contract negotiations and explore insurance or alternative contracting mechanisms to help the society with advanced event planning.
