COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners fielded questions from the public about the county’s future at a town hall meeting Tuesday night.
About two dozen people attended the meeting at the Kootenai County Administration Building, where topics ranged from how to handle population growth and the strain it puts on county infrastructure to whether commissioners will accept a proposed 20-year lease agreement between the fair board and the county.
North Idaho State Fair leadership recently unveiled a $280 million master plan to rejuvenate and expand the fairgrounds, set to unfold in phases over the next 30 years. But they cautioned that vision won’t become reality unless organizers and investors receive assurances that the fairgrounds won’t move from its current location in Coeur d’Alene.
Commissioner Bill Brooks reiterated his support for a long-term lease for the fairgrounds, in the range of 25 to 50 years. He said the response from county residents at recent town halls and meetings makes it clear that the community supports it, too.
“That is fairground property, and it should always remain fairground property,” Brooks said.
To read the full story, visit our content partners, the Coeur d'Alene Press.