Grandstands Upgrades Not the Best Use of Fairgrounds Funding

Submitted by the Waitsburg Commercial Club Executive Board

The Waitsburg Commercial Club regards the Waitsburg Fairgrounds as an integral part of our event venue inventory to bring visitors and commerce to Waitsburg. It is important to start marketing and booking events at our Fairgrounds.

Many art, food and music outdoor events are booked in Walla Walla County, particularly at privately-owned Wineries, that are very successful, without benefit of installed facilities for seating. Saying that no events can be booked at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds because of the condition of the grandstands and the need to have installed permanent seating does not logically ring true when we haven’t had a program or plan marketing our fairgrounds that would document people’s objections to booking events at the fairgrounds.

The recent advisory ballot may have presented a cost issue that predicted a teardown vote. But if you extrapolate that money issue to facts, the cost of maintenance of a restored grandstand was not included on the advisory ballot either. The annual cost of maintaining the entire fairgrounds, without the additional maintenance of a restored grandstand is at minimum $40,000, maximum $60,000, with very little capital improvements in the current fairgrounds maintenance budget. Cost of maintaining the grandstands annually is predicted to be approximately $2,000-$4,000.

It has been said that the advisory ballot was sent only to Waitsburg citizens/taxpayers and did not give others, not qualified to vote on city issues, a chance to have their opinion heard about the need or viability of the grandstands. If it is important to hear from more people, the Commercial Club can immediately post requests for input across our Facebook pages and/or via a Monkey Survey format.

Commercial Club Vice President Terry Hofer, in conjunction with the Commercial Club, utilized the fairgrounds in 2016-17 to promote and register RV campers. Terry and Joy Smith were ordinanced by the Waitsburg City Council to sit on the Fairgrounds Committee.

The Commercial Club learned much information during Terry Hofer’s months-long tenure booking RV rentals. There is needed infrastructure to improve and facilitate additional usage/event bookings at our fairgrounds. The top request is wi-fi access. The restrooms are also in need of renovation.

If additional monies can be spent on the Fairgrounds, wi-fi and a part-time contracted event booking agent would appear to be a better return on investment than a grandstands refurbish that has no documented positive need for capturing event bookings.

The Commercial Club encourages the Waitsburg City Council to follow the results and recommendations of the citizen advisory ballot and to allocate any available monies and efforts to fairgrounds marketing, wi-fi and restroom renovation.

- Waitsburg Commercial Club Exectuve Board

Joy Marie Smith, President

Terry Hofer, Vice President

Valerie Mudry, Vice President

Brooke Mikesell, Secretary

Fred Gonzalez, Treasurer

Sandy Kleck, Director