Commissioner candidate not pleased with fairgrounds proposal
The Boone County Fairgrounds could soon have a pair of new tenants.
The Boone County Commission met Thursday afternoon and approved a first reading of a proposal to lease parts of the fairgrounds to Columbia-based Veterans United Home Loans and the United Parcel Service.
However, the move has not pleased one candidate running for the Boone County Southern District Commission seat.
Fred Parry said, “For 17 years, the Boone County Commission has struggled without a business plan for managing the Boone County Fairgrounds. Today ‘s action is nothing more than an attempt to ‘kick the can down the road’ for another three years. The County Commission is about to accept a short-term bailout that does nothing to fix the long term challenges.”
Under the agreement, United Veterans Home Loans will pay $30,000 per year for exclusive use of the Coliseum, the Sapp Arena and a large parking lot north and east of the Coliseum.
UPS will lease a large parking lot at the fairgrounds for $10,000 a year. The company plans to stage its semi-trucks at the location.
Both leases have a term of three years.
” Today , I asked the County Commission to reconsider this lease arrangement because it would delay the proactive development of a long-term solution for another three years. There is a growing interest in the community to make the fairgrounds a multi-faceted recreational complex that benefits both the citizens of rural Boone County and the citizens who live within the city limits of Columbia. Approving these leases will be a major setback for the long-term development of the fairgrounds,” stated Parry.
