Boone County looking to rent fairgrounds

Boone County officials said they’re looking for fairground tenants. They’re offering short-term lease options for groups wanting to use the Central Missouri Events Center.

“The idea is that we find a way that the public can use the facility during the interim when we are trying to identify a long-term solution,” said Dan Atwill, presiding commissioner for Boone County.

The Central Missouri Events Center has been closed for months. County officials said they’re looking for tenants to lease the property for up to three years.

The request for proposal states the county is looking for a “fiscally sound entity” that’s “willing to maintain the facility in a community-oriented manner.”

The county is forced to look for renters to maintain the property because residents voted down a a parks and recreation tax in 2014. Officials said the cost is minimal, but currently, the county is using taxpayer money to maintain the property.

Atwill said groups have expressed interest but many only want to rent the property for a few days or weeks.

“If we had the people that want those short-term uses come together and work out a plan — that would be ideal,” said Atwill.

There is a special condition clause in the RFP that would allow the Boone County Fair to use the property two weeks a year for the county fair. This coming summer, the county fair will take place in Sturgeon.

No one has submitted a proposal yet. The deadline for interested parties to submit a proposal to Boone County is April 29.