Public asked to help divine future of fairgrounds

Public comment on possible future changes and improvements to the Flathead County Fairgrounds is being sought by the fairgrounds manager and the Fair Board.

A meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24, in the Expo Building at the fairgrounds.

Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell wants people to hear about possible changes at the site, offer their input and help guide the process.

The information will be incorporated into a master plan that is being developed for the fairgrounds.

The meeting is to begin with a brief overview of the fairgrounds, including its history, its uses and ideas that Campbell and board members have for the future.

Then people will be asked to wander to stations that focus on specific parts of the fairgrounds. Among the topics of those stations are landscaping issues, parking issues, long-term growth, facilities development, the future of horse racing and connecting with the communities, Campbell said.

At each station, people can learn about that specific topic and offer comments, he said.

“We want input from the audience about what critical points should be addressed,” Campbell said. “We want them to be honest and frank with us.”

Campbell wants to hear feedback about what people want the fairgrounds to offer, whether that be more art, more theater, more agriculture, more youth events or anything else.

“We want people to tell us what’s important to them about the fairgrounds facility and that includes all year, not just the week of the fair,” Campbell said.

“What can we do that will draw people here all year?” he asked.

Campbell acknowledges the fairgrounds lacks much landscaping.

He wants to determine how important landscaping is to people and, if they want more, what kinds of landscaping do people prefer. He’s cognizant that landscaping needs to fit into the Kalispell neighborhood where the fairgrounds sits.

Essentially everything is on the table, he said, with landscape options including native plants, evergreens, flowers or an orchard.

He wants people to voice their opinions about whether parking lots need to be paved or if grass and dirt lots are adequate. Campbell also wants to know how far from the grounds people want parking to be located.

People frequently comment that they want to attend horse races during the fair, he said, but volunteer horse race supporters have struggled to find funding to stage races.

If people want horse races, logistics and funding issues have to be figured out in advance, Campbell said.

Leadership Flathead students will be at each station recording the comments, which will be compiled as part of the master plan.

After people go from station to station, Campbell intends to bring the group back together “for a brief recap” and an explanation of what will come next in the planning process.

He expects he, his staff and the board will spend about a month compiling the data from the meeting. When that process is finished, he envisions another public meeting to continue the planning process.

At that meeting, he intends to have some sketches prepared that would show how some improvements might look once completed. The main purpose of the second meeting is to set priorities, he said.

Currently the fairgrounds budget contains no money to pay for long-term improvements. Once a prioritized list is finished, cost estimates can be made and funding options identified.

As he works on the 2012-13 fiscal year budget, Campbell said he thinks he will be able to earmark several thousand dollars for an improvement reserve fund. He’d continue that process every year in the future to pay for much of the proposed work.

Once completed, the master plan will help guide development and changes at the fairgrounds for 20 or so years, Campbell said. It will be reviewed and updated regularly during that time.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.