County agrees to study option for fairgrounds.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

Lane County commissioners took only 14 minutes Wednesday to endorse exploring a possible land deal that could relocate the county fairgrounds to the western outskirts of Eugene.

The five commissioners unanimously approved - albeit with caveats and cautions - signing an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Eugene that would give the county a two-year purchase option to buy 100 acres of land adjacent to Golden Gardens Park in the Bethel area of west Eugene.

The city is looking at buying 220 acres from two private property owners, then selling 100 of those acres to the county, at no increased cost, for possible use as a new fairgrounds.

The city would retain another 100 acres for a regional park.

Commissioners stressed that the agreement is only the start of a long process that will require considerable public participation, and may or may not result in the fairgrounds relocating from its site in central Eugene.

"This is an opportunity for the future - it may pan out and it may not pan out," Commissioner Bill Dwyer said. "But that doesn't mean that we as leaders should let opportunities go by."

County Administrator Bill Van Vactor called the intergovernmental agreement a "classic win-win" that will give the county two years to perform due diligence and determine whether purchase of the property is prudent. The pact requires no down payment or other financial risk by the county, he said.

The agreement must next be signed by Eugene City Manager Dennis Taylor, who can do so without City Council approval. Councilors, whose initial reactions have ranged from cautious interest to deep skepticism, have not discussed the matter in public session.

The acreage, west of Highway 99 and south of Clear Lake Road, is outside the city's urban growth boundary.

Commissioner Bobby Green said he worries about public perceptions surrounding the notion of the county buying a new fairgrounds parcel while in the midst of budgetary crisis.

There also are unanswered questions about what might replace the fairgrounds if it moves from its location along a residential stretch of West 13th Avenue.

"What if Wal-Mart wants to put its store in the middle of town?" he asked. "We've got to be careful and be very diligent."

The commissioners have anguished for years over what to do with the aging, 55-acre fairgrounds site.

The county would bankroll a new complex in part by selling some or all of the fairgrounds.

The city, meanwhile, has been eager to improve the largely undeveloped Golden Gardens area - a former gravel quarry with ponds - that has been the site of child drownings in recent years.

The city would use some of the money from last year's $27.5 million parks bond to buy the land.

The private property owners, Charles Van Duyn and Ray Babb, have indicated a preference to sell all, rather than a portion, of their land to the city.