Seeking to improve fair, board will look for grants

The fairgrounds need a new auditorium, access to a sewer system and maintenance.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000

BROOKSVILLE -- Shhhh.

Hernando County wants to build a new auditorium at its fairgrounds.

But because Gov. Jeb Bush has vetoed most all allocations for county fairs during his two years in office, Hernando leaders are avoiding calling the fair a fair when they discuss plans to replace the aging McKethan Auditorium.

Call it an emergency shelter for animals that will serve a five-county area, said Brooksville City Council member Richard Lewis, vice president of the Fair Association Board. Call it a civic center on 45 acres of county property.

"The key word is, we want to keep "renovation' out of the grant (proposals) and we want to keep "fairgrounds' out of the grant," Lewis said Thurs-day during a workshop with the County Commission.

Commissioners and fair board members talked frankly during a two-hour session about the myriad needs for the fairgrounds on U.S. 41. More than a new auditorium, they said, the site needs access to a sewer system, more maintenance attention and, according to fair board members, greater support from the commission.

"We seem to get the impression the fair is something of a stepchild," treasurer Chuck Smith told commissioners, suggesting that the fairgrounds should get the same financial consideration as any other county-owned recreational facility.

Commission Chairman Paul Sullivan encouraged the fair board to come forward more frequently with such concerns and said more interaction would benefit the entire community.

"This is probably a very good start," Sullivan said of Thursday's session.

During the meeting, the groups agreed to seek grants from the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Community Affairs to finance a new auditorium. The Fair Association cannot raise enough money on its own to pay for the project, president Jim Brooks said, because fewer and fewer groups are renting the dilapidated building.

The commission has set aside only about one-third of the amount needed for the $1.3-million center. And Bush has vetoed $200,000 for the effort two years running.

If the county gets the grants, Lewis said, it could replace the old auditorium with that money and use some money it has set aside for construction to hook the fairgrounds and surrounding areas to sewer.

"It's astronomical how much we spend on septic tank pumping," Lewis said.

County and Brooksville staffers said they would investigate ways to most efficiently bring sewer service to the area, which also includes a new Animal Control building site, the County Extension service center and a mobile home park.

Brooks also asked the commission to consider allowing county employees to care for the fairgrounds without the fair board having to ask for special assistance.

"This is a county facility, and this is a county function," he said. "There are occasions we need equipment help and stuff like that. We always get the runaround."

The Fair Association can support the weeklong county fair, Smith said. But when it comes to the buildings and grounds, he said, the commission should have money set aside to pay for maintenance and repairs.

"That's the kind of relationship we would like to see," Smith said. "But I don't think we've ever had that kind of relationship."

Commissioner Chris Kingsley said he would do his part to support the fair with workers, fee waivers and other help, a stance echoed by all other commissioners.

As the planning moves ahead, all agreed, community suggestions should help determine the fate of the buildings on the fairgrounds. The fair itself is agricultural, Smith said, but it lasts only eight days.

"You don't want to limit yourself," Commissioner Nancy Robinson said. "The possibilities are enormous."

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