Fairgrounds officials look at adding commercial kitchen

MOSES LAKE — A project to build a new restroom at the Grant County Fairgrounds may be expanded to include a new commercial kitchen.

Grant County Director of Central Services Tom Gaines said Monday the commercial kitchen will be an alternate in the bid package for the bathroom project. County officials want to put up the interior and exterior walls for the kitchen, even if installing kitchen equipment has to wait, he said.

The new restrooms, a storage area and a walkway will be built in the space between the ag building and the commercial building, near the main fairgrounds entrance at 3953 Airway Drive NE. Wenatchee-based MJ Neal Associates, Architects PLLC, was hired to work with fairgrounds officials on the engineering and design.

The ag building was upgraded in 2020. Previously, it was an uninsulated metal shell with roll-up doors. The exterior was repaired and made weather-tight, insulation was added to the interior and the roll-up doors were replaced with standard doors. The interior also got new paneling and a heating-cooling system.

Fire suppression sprinklers for the ag building will be included as part of the restroom project.

Adding the walkway will connect the commercial and ag buildings, Gaines said. There’s already a connecting walkway between the commercial building and the 4-H building next door.

When the commercial and ag buildings are connected, people can rent the three combined spaces for events. That will make the fairgrounds more attractive to people looking for an event venue, Gaines said.

A commercial kitchen at the fairgrounds has been a subject of discussion among county officials for about five years. The kitchen, too, would be an attraction for people wanting event space, he said.

Fairgrounds officials are working with a restaurant supply company to determine equipment specifications. The equipment selected and where it sits will affect the design from the start, since it will determine the location of the utilities.

Currently, the 4-H building has two kitchens, but they do not qualify as commercial kitchens, Gaines said. Neither has commercial equipment.

The project will go out for bid late this year or early next year, Gaines said.