Central Missouri Events Center Task Force gives recommendations to commissioners

County commissioners met Thursday afternoon to discuss the future of the Boone County fairgrounds.

The Central Missouri Events Center task force has been meeting for eight weeks, as well as talking with the public to get ideas, and conducting its own research. All of this to make sure the future of the fairgrounds is a promising one.

The management of the fairgrounds is handled by Tag Events LLC, but that agreement is set to end in June.

Thursday, the task force presented its recommendations to the board of commissioners.

Eight recommendations were presented by former Missouri Gov. Roger Wilson, the leader of the task force. The first item addressed was the long-term to life commitment needed for the fairgrounds.

That would be necessary to get vendors and investors interested. Wilson said vendors want to schedule their events years in advance.

Before moving on, the commissioners told ABC 17 News they need to review all eight of the recommendations in-depth.

Some of the recommendations include appointing an advisory board, tracking economic impact and getting funding.

“Rather than costing money, it’s an investment. This is going to go to the public health of our community,” said Wilson.

As of Thursday, their recommendation is to get funding from private donations, event revenue and public dollars.

“I think it’s a gem now. I think it’s going to be polished. I think in 20 years from now you won’t recognize that. I think there’s going to be baseball fields out there,” said Wilson.