FROM PAGE ONE
A6 — THE OBSERVER
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
Fairgoers walk through the Union County Fairgrounds, La Grande, on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. Board mem-
bers are seeking funding to move forward with a plan that would bring running water and sewage back
to the fairgrounds.
FAIR
Continued from Page A1
the bathroom facilities use-
less. Not only are the bath-
rooms needed for events
like the Union County Fair
and Eastern Oregon Beer
Festival, but the utility
is crucial for emergency
scenarios.
“For emergency sit-
uations, those grounds
are very, very useful for
us,” Scarfo said. “Espe-
cially during COVID, we
were able to do drive-thru
clinics.”
According to Scarfo,
funding negotiations with
the state involve the idea
that the grounds are an
essential location for the
whole county on a regular
basis.
“The fair is only there
for a week, but the rest
of the time, we as Union
County use those grounds
for other functions that
we need,” he said. “The
grounds are not functional
without running water and
toilets.”
La Grande-based
civil engineering fi rm
Anderson Perry & Associ-
ates is assisting in the plan-
ning process for the sewer
system, which will involve
crossing Interstate 84 and
the Grande Ronde River.
The project is estimated to
be in the $2 million range.
Mike Lees, an Anderson
Perry engineer, noted that
additional funding will be
needed beyond the planning
phases, but “the biggest
hurdle right now is fi nding
funds to move forward with
the project.”
The plan involves using
the current water service on
the north side of La Grande
as well as an existing
sewage conduit under the
freeway. Suspended sewage
lines across the Second
Street overpass would be
used to get cross the Grande
Ronde River.
According to Lees,
the sewer project will be
divided into two phases.
The infrastructure will
need to be established at the
fairgrounds, followed by
distributing and installing
the new infrastructure at
the grounds.
Funding for the project is
in the planning process. At
the Oregon Legislative ses-
sion, a proposed $10 million
could potentially be distrib-
uted to the fairs within all
36 counties and the state
fair — the approximately
$270,000 even split would
still leave the Union County
Fairgrounds well short of
the needed quota, though.
According to Cornford, the
funding is nowhere near
what the fair is in need of.
Scarfo said this is not
the fi rst time Union County
has sought help from the
Legislature to address the
sewer system needs at the
fairgrounds.
“This has been a project
we’ve been working on for
years now,” he said. “We
really thought it was going
to get funded last year in
the regular session but it
never did.”
Scarfo noted that 100%
fully grant-funded projects
rarely happen, which is why
the county and fair board
are looking to invest in the
project. This could open the
door for potential matching
funds.
“That’s an idea of mine,
to do some matching part-
nerships if we can’t get this
fully funded through the
state or some other ways,”
he said. “I would hope that
everyone would get on
board and bring a little bit
to the table.”
A working sewage
system at the Union County
Fairgrounds will open doors
for event-hosting opportu-
nities, as well as improve
an essential emergency
location.
“With COVID and the
need for emergency facili-
ties, the fairgrounds has a
large footprint,” Lees said.
“Unfortunately, the facility
does not currently have the
infrastructure to support
that.”
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022