The La Plata County Fairgrounds master plan is a long-term plan that will be funded in phases using Conservation Trust Fund dollars, which the county receives annually from Colorado Lottery proceeds. The funds can be used only for acquiring, developing and maintaining new conservation sites or for capital improvements for recreational facilities on county-owned sites. Conservation Trust Fund dollars cannot be used for any other county projects or expenditures. By Sadie Smith. This story is sponsored by Sky Ute Casino and FASTSIGNS Durango.
Transcript
La Plata County’s anticipated plan to build a brand new fairgrounds facility at Durango Mesa Park has been hit with a budget reality check. The ambitious plan is simply not affordable with the state of the county’s current finances. You are watching the local News Network brought to you by Skye Casino and Fast Signs Durango. I’m Sadie Smith. Rather than build a new facility from the ground up, the county has decided to remodel the current fairgrounds on Main Avenue. While the plan identifies $27 million in ideal improvements, the county has only $8 million available, including 400,000 annually in lottery funds.
What I want to make clear is what you brought up was $27 million was the dream, right? That was what our really smart consultants came up with. You know, right now we have about $8 million, so I really also want to temper the expectation about what we can afford to change here in
The property. Sits on 23 acres, 10 blocks north of downtown, and has served as a fairgrounds facility since the late 18 hundreds. The county commissioners officially designated the site as the county fairgrounds in 1917 when the county purchased the property from Durango Railway and Realty, the county plans to use the funds to upgrade the fairgrounds. Exhibit hall and extension building
Buildings were built in 1974. So for us, keeping a clean and well-maintained facility, honestly is a full-time job for the crew that we have here.
The county commissioned thorough building and site assessments to identify which upgrades will be addressed first, the priority list focused on basic infrastructure and safety systems.
Things like fire systems, sprinkler systems, electrical systems. We have an elevator that doesn’t meet code. The roofs need work, HVAC units, all those kind of things are kind of first in the queue.
County officials say the decision to remodel the current facility came down to finances.
While the Durango Mesa Foundation opportunity was a great one, and the commissioners and community all like the idea, it was just out of reach. Financially,
Construction will begin this fall. The facility will be closed from September 8th to November 2nd.
The current county commissioners are very supportive of making sure this facility is meeting the needs of the community for the years to come. This does not necessarily mean that there won’t be something else in the future, but for the time being, we have to take care of what we have
Additional details on the Fairgrounds Master Plan can be found on the La Plata County website. For more information about this and other stories, visit Durango local.news. Thank you for watching this edition of The Local News Network. I’m Sadie Smith.
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