Grant County commissioners plan to replace fair board

EPHRATA - The Grant County commissioners plan to replace the fair board, leaving the fairgrounds office to run the 2011 fair.

The Grant County commissioners sent a letter to fair board members, stating they won't renew the board's contract to run the fair, citing complaints and research on other county fairs.

"Overwhelming evidence has shown that a smaller fair board or fair advisory committee would be beneficial," according to the letter. "For this reason, the board has decided to not renew the 2011 contract with the fair board."

The commissioners and the fair board were negotiating a new contract so the board could continue to run the fair, but Commissioner Cindy Carter said the prosecutor's office was having trouble communicating with the board. 

"We were having a hard time working with them because there was a division within the fair board," she said. "We had members of the fair board come in and say there were problems."

The decision follows problems last year when vendors threatened not to attend the fair. The commissioners decided to transfer management of the vendors to the county employees in the fair office.

"We didn't want to take over that responsibility, but the vendors were threatening not to come," Carter said.

She also cited problems with the board meeting deadlines, clashes with the fairgrounds office staff and people wanting to see something different at the fair.

The commissioners plan to replace the fair board with an advisory committee, which will provide suggestions to the fair office, Carter said. The advisory committee will feature fewer people and term limits. She compared the future committee to the fair facilities advisory committee, which suggests facility improvements to the fairgrounds office. 

"We've decided to get new people involved. We've heard that people have tried to get on the fair board, but can't," she said. "We have a lot of suggestions. Hopefully we'll have a lot of interested people who will be sending letters of interest."

Carter said the fairgrounds office handled running a lot of last years' fair, and plans to hire an additional part-time person with the $25,000 the county gives to the fair board to run the fair. She estimated the commissioners would have the advisory committee put together within 30 days.

She said the members of the fair board do work hard for the fair, and they have done a lot of good.

Fair Board President Gary Ribail said he couldn't comment for the fair board on the commissioners' decision.

He said board members plan to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the fairgrounds to discuss the decision.

"I'm disappointed in their decision," Ribail said. "Anybody can come and voice their opinions at the meeting."