RUNNER IN POSITION TO HELP FIND NEW SITE FOR A.V. FAIRGROUNDS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Efforts to relocate the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds have gotten a boost with Assemblyman George Runner's appointment to the Joint Legislative Committee of Fairs Allocation and Classification.

As a member of the committee, the Republican lawmaker from Lancaster will be in a position to help identify state funding sources to assist the relocation. Runner was appointed to the committee by Assembly Speaker Cruz Bustamante, D-Fresno.

``This won't play a role in where the fair is located. That's up to the fair board,'' Runner said. ``It will assist in the way it is to be relocated. Once a site is selected, we need to bring together the resources to assist with the move.''

The fair board is looking to relocate the fairgrounds, now hemmed in by housing, to an area where expansion is possible. A new site would allow the fairgrounds to offer a broad range of year-round entertainment and help it become self-sufficient, board members said.

The cost to build a new fairgrounds has been estimated at $70 million.

Lancaster officials want the fairgrounds relocated to a 221-acre site along the Antelope Valley Freeway and Avenue H. Lancaster recently acquired the property for $750,000 and city officials say there are commitments from other agencies to provide water and sewer lines to the site.

Palmdale officials argue more analysis is needed before a site is selected. That city has not made a formal proposal, but Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford has suggested the fairgrounds could be move to a site near Sierra Highway and Avenue M.

No timetable has been set by the fair board for making a decision.

The Lancaster property is generally bounded by Avenue G-8, the freeway, Avenue H and 30th Street West.

Amenities being considered for the new fairgrounds include an auto racetrack, a recreational vehicle park, an equestrian park, an off-track betting facility, exhibit areas and a 6,500-seat enclosed arena.

Lancaster officials suggest the city would provide all the utilities for the new fairgrounds. The fair's satellite wagering account would be used to finance construction of the new watch-and-wager building, according to the minutes of a Feb. 4 meeting of fair board member Randy Jaqua, fair manager Dan Jacobs, state fairs and expositions officials and Lancaster representatives.

Lancaster would buy the existing fairgrounds for $5 million to $10 million. That money in turn could be used to build the equestrian facility and auto racetrack. It would then require a joint powers agreement to borrow money from the state Division of Fairs and Expositions to build the enclosed arena.

Lancaster city officials and the fair board have been discussing the expansion of the fairgrounds at Avenue I and Division for several years. In 1994, a consultant's report said in the next 20 years the fairgrounds will need to expand from its existing 76 acres to 160 acres and would require new buildings totaling $70 million to adequately house the fair.