La Plata County commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept an ambitious master plan for upgrades at the county fairgrounds.
The document, released last month, outlines $27 million worth of phased upgrades to the 23.4-acre site that hosts the annual La Plata County Fair, as well as a range of agricultural events and other gatherings.
By accepting the plan, commissioners are not committing to any particular timeline, but will have a list of capital projects to work on moving forward.
Several members of the equestrian community showed up to warn commissioners that the site was inadequate and that a larger location, not just upgrades to the existing one, is necessary. They implored commissioners to reconsider a now-foregone opportunity to move the fairgrounds to the Durango Mesa Park. The Board of County Commissioners declined that option in 2023, citing a price tag of at least $80 million.
Pam Petrie, producer of the True Western Roundup, said that option was “brought to light and then snuffed out.” Now, she told commissioners she is supportive of the proposed renovations – but wants to ensure they are enacted.
The master plan outlines projects as minor as removing obstacles in the parking lots and adding new trailer parking stalls to the addition of a $12.3 million exhibit hall renovation that would combine the extension building on a second floor.
Funding for the upgrades comes from the Colorado Lottery Conservation Trust Fund, an allocation of about $400,000 annually from the state. The plan notes that other grants or private partnerships could also help fund the upgrades.
By phasing in the plan, county officials can pick and choose fairgrounds capital projects each year based on the availability of funding.
That is a better approach, commissioners said in comments made before the vote, given the high price tag that a fairgrounds at Durango Mesa Park carried and the county’s budgetary constraints. Officials have mused about a mill levy increase to fund the road and bridge department, which has an annual capital projects backlog of about $10 million.
“We must prioritize our spending on infrastructure and essential services before we take on the added burden of building a new fairgrounds from scratch,” Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton said from the dais.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
