An update was given on a report providing ways the Grant County Fairgrounds could expand and remain profitable.

The report presented during the John Day City Council on July 28, co-developed by consulting firm EcoNorthwest and landscape architecture firm Walker Macy, recommends expanding the fairgrounds by increasing the number of recreational vehicle camping sites from 25 to 34, which is a 36% expansion, according to the report.

The new RV sites would be located adjacent to the existing RV park and occupy part of the orchard area. It also recommends the creation of 27 new tent camping sites along with two new bathroom buildings for the camping areas.

“Nine doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is about a third more than what we have today,” said John Day City Manager Nick Green. “They also came up with some really cool site plans for how they can maximize the value of the fairgrounds property.”

While the feasibility analysis from the report considers only the new sites, the report proposed different ideas such as multiple river access points, two potential locations for walk-in tent camping and a 3-acre flexible event site.

Fair Manager Mindy Winegar said the designs have brought up more ideas in continuing discussions on improving the fairgrounds. She hoped the team would have worked more on Keerins Hall and the rental house, but said the overall report was a good concept.

“It (the report) wasn’t a complete master plan,” said Winegar. “It was more of ideas. It wasn’t taking the whole grounds. If we were going to take the whole grounds and look at every single bit of it, it would have been more like $75,000, not $30,000, for them to look at it.”

Councilor Elliot Sky asked Winegar how she felt about the conclusion of the final price tag versus the revenue it would generate and the likelihood of going through with the design.

Winegar said she could not answer that question yet since the county court and the fair board have not seen the report yet.

“It’s a sticker shock a little bit, but it’s doable,” Winegar said.

The report states that the operating costs for the existing campground in the annual budget projection is $77,973 for 2019-2020. The projected operating expenses for the expanded camping facilities would be an additional $51,604, creating a total operating cost of $129,577.

While the operating cost would go up, the report projects an increase in revenue to cover the rise in cost.

“Recent Fairgrounds revenue data associated with the RV park show that, over the past few years, gross revenues have averaged about $72,000 per year,” according to the report. The report projects that the expansion of the RV and tent sites could potentially provide up to $209,000 annually.

John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom said he hopes that the county will implement some of the ideas presented in the report.

“We’ll have to remind the county what they agreed to when we do this … that they would implement some of the changes that were brought up,” Lundbom said.

This joint design project was an investment between the city of John Day and Grant County, and the report will be discussed again during a Grant County Court session.

In other city news:

• The John Day City Council voted to approve a resolution adopting the 2020 Grant County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. Adopting the plan will give the opportunity to pursue FEMA funding for natural hazard mitigation.

• The city council moved to approve the city manager to sign a construction agreement with Iron Triangle for $54,857 for the Seventh Street Phase 1 parking lot.

• John Day city councilors shared their thoughts on the fallout from the pool plans. Members of the city council focused on the importance of voting and how the citizens in the county lost a chance to vote.

“All citizens in Grant County should vote on that and the Oregon move to Idaho border,” Councilor Greg Habberly said. “It’s up to the citizens. It’s not up to the council, the mayor. It should be up to the citizens of Grant County.”

“Nine (new RV spaces) doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is about a third more than what we have today. They also came up with some really cool site plans for how they can maximize the value of the fairgrounds property.”

—Nick Green, John Day city manager