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Council approves fairgrounds grant scope change: funds to support suicide-prevention program instead of a concert
Summary
Council approved a request to change the scope of a $25,000 2025 fairgrounds grant from a concert to a suicide-prevention program run by 1 Degree of Separation; program organizer Adam Valdez described national reach and a planned late-August event. The auditor and committee members discussed whether the change should return to the RAPS committee before approval.
Alma Burgess, the county grant administrator, asked the council to approve a scope change for a $25,000 award made in 2025 to the county fairgrounds. The original scope funded a suicide- and mental-health-awareness concert; the grounds now propose using the remaining funds for a program run by 1 Degree of Separation, a group that combines training, education and entertainment aimed at suicide prevention. Burgess said roughly half the $25,000 has been spent; the group estimates the proposed event this year will cost about $10,000 and the award must be used by Dec. 31, 2027.
Adam Valdez of 1 Degree of Separation addressed the council and said the group has presented widely. "In the last 8 months, they've been to all 50 states, 12 countries," Valdez said, adding the organization tailors presentations and avoids overstepping clinical roles. The auditor suggested similar past scope changes were returned to the RAPS committee for vetting; council members debated practicality given time constraints and ultimately voted to approve the scope change by voice vote.
