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County committee unveils AgCenter master plan with civic center, livestock arena and multi‑million dollar estimates
Summary
Architect Kevin Marion and the AgCenter committee presented a campus master plan near Main Church Road with a 32,000 sq ft agricultural civic center (~$17M), an ~80,000 sq ft livestock show facility (~$25M), space for a farmer's market and museum, and roughly $250,000 in equipment already available; committee members highlighted revenue potential but acknowledged funding remains unresolved.
The AgCenter committee presented a schematic master plan for an agricultural campus off Main Church Road near Interstate 40 that includes an agricultural civic center, a livestock show facility, a farmer’s market, an antique tractor museum and supporting infrastructure.
Kevin Marion of Fuller Architecture walked the board through the site plan and schematic designs, describing a 32,000‑square‑foot agricultural civic center with a 300‑seat multipurpose room, demonstration kitchen, office suites for extension and soil‑and‑water staff, and public meeting spaces. Marion said the civic center schematic is sized to meet county needs while allowing flexible use for regional events.
The proposal also calls for an unconditioned, open‑air livestock show facility of roughly 80,000 square feet with bleacher seating, a press box and an initial 48 portable stables with room for future expansion. Marion said the facility could host livestock shows, equestrian events and other regional gatherings; committee members emphasized that rented stables and event bookings are important revenue and cost‑recovery sources for comparable facilities.
Marion provided preliminary cost estimates at schematic level: approximately $450 per square foot for the agricultural civic center (rough total about $17,000,000 including soft costs) and about $300 per square foot for the unconditioned livestock facility (schematic total about $25,000,000 including soft costs). He noted a roughly $250,000 value of equipment currently at the community college campus that could be housed at the new site and urged the board that more detailed cost estimating and geotechnical work are needed as the project advances.
Committee members and commissioners praised the plan’s potential to consolidate agricultural services, provide new meeting and event space for the county, and drive local agritourism revenue, but they acknowledged the financing question remains the core challenge. The committee said it will continue pursuing grant opportunities and partnerships and return with refined cost estimates and funding options.
The board did not take formal funding action at the session; the presentation was delivered for information and to solicit direction on next steps and potential funding strategies.
