Santa Clara County
’s victory in litigation with the city of San Jose over a
theater project at the county fairgrounds could signal the
beginning of the end for the county fair, and the beginning of
smaller 4-H fair in the South Valley.
Santa Clara County’s victory in litigation with the city of San Jose over a theater project at the county fairgrounds could signal the beginning of the end for the county fair, and the beginning of smaller 4-H fair in the South Valley.
The county’s contract with Fairgrounds Management Co. expires next year, and the fair’s dismal performance in recent years, combined with the county’s success in litigation, means that 2005 might be the last time there’s a fair in San Jose, or anywhere else for that matter.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it might be,” Supervisor Don Gage said Friday. “We might have to wait a couple of years until I can find some land in South County for a permanent facility.”
On Thursday, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge affirmed that the county has sole authority of the fairgrounds and removed a major obstacle for construction of a new concert theater that fairgrounds management hopes to use as a cash cow to overhaul the complex.
Under a plan adopted in 1998, improvements to the grounds will include a 50,000-square foot exhibition hall, a sports and recreation facility and an underground parking structure, all without tax dollars.
They do not include plans for a midway – games and rides – and agricultural events that are heavily reliant on public funding.
“When you have people dressed up to go to the theater or a concert you don’t want to have animals or the circus or a midway,” Gage said.
And in its current incarnation, the fair is a money loser. Three years ago, it was shortened from 10 days to three, but still has not managed a profit.
Arthur Troyer, the executive director of FMC, said that poor attendance has muddied the relationship between the fairgrounds and the county.
“It’s unclear whether the county wants to renew the contract,” he said Friday. “The fairgrounds needs serious assistance to fix buildings. The fair itself is not performing well. The financial picture is not a pretty one. We need to reorganize our financing.”
What is clear to everyone in county government is that the revitalization called for in the 1998 plan is the quickest route to financial prosperity. That plan, though, was conceived in a booming economy, and is now tied up in litigation. So far, the county has prevailed.
At the moment, he’s shopping for a location and is hopeful that someone will donate the land for a small fairgrounds in exchange for a tax write-off.
“I’m looking for someone to donate the 100 acres we’ll need for a fair and parking and then we’ll see what the costs are for facilities,” Gage said. “If we’re going to make improvements, they might as well be permanent.”
