By Kevin Hanson, The Courier-Herald
Anyone with an opinion about the King County Fair - or, perhaps, the entire fairgrounds operation, or even the whole King County Parks Department - is invited to a meeting slated for next week in Enumclaw.
The session, which will include Fair Board members and county staff, will begin at 7 p.m., Sept. 10, in the Pete's Pool fieldhouse.
Dave Marks, still new to the job of fairgrounds manager, admits he's heard grumbling from the public. This year's King County Fair brought complaints about decreased vendors and high ticket prices for concerts (compared to what fair-goers were used to); in addition, a new rate structure at the fairgrounds has some traditional users, most notably the Scottish Highland Games, wondering if they'll return to Enumclaw.
Marks said any topic is fair game for next week's meeting. County representatives, he believes, are honestly trying to judge the feelings of the public before making any more decisions.
Initially, the county planned on hosting just four meetings throughout the county to hear about its parks and recreation plans. Marks lobbied for an additional meeting for Enumclaw.
On a very local note, Marks has sensed the Enumclaw community isn't tied to the annual fair like it used to be. Marks calls it "community disenfranchisement," and feels he has the problem pegged. "The feedback I'm getting says they feel like they're not as involved as they used to be," he said of Plateau residents.
Additionally, he believes that's a trend that needs to be reversed. "This is more of a community-type fair," he said. "The underlying feeling is there's a sense of community." That feeling, he said, is slipping away.
During the Sept. 10 meeting, Marks hopes local residents will state their case to those who might not understand the relationship that once existed between Enumclaw and the King County Fair. Through comments next week, he said, "The people downtown (Seattle) can get a sense of how people feel about the fair."
Those comments are made with an understanding that the fairgrounds occupy a different place in the hearts and pocketbooks of King County officials. The Parks and Recreation Division is strapped for cash, and has identified three county properties with the potential to make enough money to subsidize other departmental efforts. Aside from the fairgrounds, the perceived money-makers are Marymoor Park and the King County Aquatics Center.
Marks believes through careful planning, and with a boost from some financial investment on the county's part, the fairgrounds can return to its glory days while still turning a tidy profit for the county.
"The property is just magnificent," Marks said. "And we haven't even begun to scratch the surface with what we can do out here." He says it's "entirely feasible" to expect the fairground to evolve into a revenue-producing venture. "By the end of four years, I'd like to see us in the black," he said.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com
