Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Commissioners cite revenue stream for fair as reasoning for the park
DAVENPORT—A business plan created by the Lincoln County Fairgrounds staff to create year-round R.V. and tent camping sites on Fairgrounds land at 1601 Morgan Street is drawing the ire of some neighbors in the area.
The topic was discussed at the commissioners’ March 21 meeting, which took place five days after the city planning commission discussed whether the county needed to apply for a conditional use permit to use the land.
Gene Hein of the planning commission later clarified to the Record-Times that the plot of land where eight permanent R.V. spots proposed to go weren’t annexed into the city when portions of the Fairgrounds were in 1962, so the debate of the county needing a conditional use permit or future annexation needed by the city hasn’t been resolved as of press time.
Tom Schreck, who lives near the Fairgrounds, voiced his concerns to the commissioners about the impacts camping sites would have on his neighborhood.
“I polled my neighbors, and none of them were in favor of this,” Schreck told the commissioners Monday. “There were some who were indifferent to it, but none in favor.”
Schreck questioned whether there would be adequate enforcement, such as a park ranger, on site. He also asked how the park could affect property values, noise levels, R.V. space for fairgoers and pet waste in the area.
The commissioners pivoted to the financial side in their responses, noting the Fairgrounds receives little money from the state to put on a county fair and the county has been searching for ways to generate more money for the Fairgrounds.
“If we weren’t looking to generate revenue, we would’ve never gone down that route,” Commissioner Scott Hutsell said.
“Financing the fair with only roughly $20,000-$28,000 from the state isn’t easy,” Commissioner Rob Coffman added. “We don’t use any current expense dollars for the fair.”
According to the business plan for the R.V./camping park provided to The Record-Times by Dawn Canfield, tent camping will be limited to a maximum of five nights from May-September. Eight R.V. spots will be yearly, while six will be seasonal from March-August.
Dog regulations on the grounds would follow city municipal code.
Construction would be completed in three phases, beginning with R.V. sites on the west end of the Fairgrounds and concluding with paving roadways and adding landscaping to the park.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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