Join us to review input on "Future Possibilities" for Boulder County Fairgrounds

Boulder County Fairgrounds Feasibility Meeting Reminder

What: Boulder
County Fairgrounds "Future Possibilities" Feedback Overview

When: Thursday, June 30, 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Where: Boulder County Fairgrounds, Barn A, 9561-9589 Nelson Rd, Longmont, CO

On June 1, Boulder County Building Services and Boulder County Parks and Open Space staff held an open house to solicit feedback on how Fairgrounds’ vendors, users, and area businesses and residents felt about proposed upgrades to the Boulder County Fairgrounds. We also collected feedback through our website www.OurBoulderCounty.org to gather additional public input.

At the June 1 meeting, two projects were proposed in response to initial interest from county residents to: 1) add a community or preservation kitchen to the Fairgrounds facilities, and 2) enclose Barn B to provide more indoor meeting and exhibition space.

We did hear some interest
in a community kitchen, but there was quite a bit of disagreement and uncertainty
about what type of kitchen to build, the location of the kitchen, and the
function(s) it would perform. We feel, based on the uncertainty of the scope
and level of interest received, that we are not ready to move forward with the
kitchen concept at this time.

In terms of enclosing Barn B, there is interest in this improvement from groups that have trouble booking space at the Fairgrounds and with groups that need more flexibility in function and size than what can be provided in the larger Exhibit building. We also heard from 4-H representatives that they wanted to make sure that the outdoor animal pens that currently make up Barn B will be accommodated for in some way in another location if they were removed from that location in order to enclose the structure.

We also learned that there
are several improvements or upgrades to the existing Fairgrounds facilities that
the public would like to see us prioritize ahead of new construction. In
response to that interest, we will be working on budget requests to address infrastructure
improvements that could be completed within the next year or two.

Next Steps/Meeting Date – Thursday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m.

Based on the helpful feedback we’ve received, Boulder County Building Services and Boulder County Parks and Open Space staff will be looking at ways to re-prioritize the list of potential improvement projects at the Fairgrounds.

Our follow up meeting scheduled for June 30 at 5:30 p.m. in Barn A will cover the comments we’ve received and provide an update on the potential improvements that Boulder County is considering making to the Fairgrounds facilities, at least in the near term.

Please join us for the wrap-up meeting, and if you are unable to attend, we will be posting a summary of these findings as a result of public feedback on www.OurBoulderCounty.org.