Our view: Light at end of the tunnel appears for fairgrounds project
Published 3:00 pm Monday, February 19, 2024
- The scent of lavender and freshly maintained grounds are ready to greet fair-goers in the summer of 2023 at the Union County Fairgrounds in La Grande. The Friends of the Fair organization is holding a dinner and dessert auction on April 8, 2024, to raise funds for a project to bring long-needed proper restroom facilities to the fairgrounds.
A glimmer of good news descended recently when Union County Commissioner Paul Anderes said there is growing support in the Legislature to funnel money to an infrastructure project at the Union County Fairgrounds.
Along with Anderes’ comments, news that the Oregon Fairs Association has placed the sewer and water project at the fairgrounds as No. 2 on its priority list for the short legislative session should give everyone who uses the fairgrounds some optimism regarding its future.
The fairgrounds’ septic system went down several years ago, rendering the bathroom facilities useless, and the association supports an effort to earmark $2.25 million for the project to be included in a capital construction bill.
The $2.25 million will go a long way toward helping the local fair association reach its fundraising goal for the project.
The money will allow the fair to link its water and sewer lines with La Grande’s system, build underground lines and construct two large restrooms with eight stalls.
This would eliminate the need for portable restrooms to be brought in for events, making the fairgrounds a more desirable location to rent and simply a more enjoyable place to be.
The septic situation at the fairgrounds has lingered far too long.
A lot of credit should go to Union County Commissioner Matt Scarfo who has worked over the years to try to solve the problem. Those who support the fair — including the association — should also be lauded for their dedication to solving the issue.
Those efforts at a local level show there are many, many people who support the Union County Fair and the fairgrounds and want to see it succeed.
A facility such as the fairgrounds should be a showplace for the county. The fairgrounds should be a place of pride for residents of the county, and the inability to provide in-depth sewer and water service has been a longtime disappointment.
Yet the focus should be on the potential good news for the future.
We hope the money for the fairgrounds gets legislative approval. It is past time this local issue be solved.
