Community center at fairgrounds complete

Facility at Lake County Fairgrounds available for rent, fair board director says

A 10-month project to construct the new Youth and Community Center at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Painesville Township was recently completed, with the facility now available for rent to groups and special functions.

Fair Director Robert Dawson noted the building project cost approximately $500,000, in addition to considerable in-kind work by the fair board.

“Primary funding sources to date include a Community Development Block Grant of $150,000 made available though the Lake County commissioners, $100,000 from Remarkable Lake County, OH, and $50,000 from the Ohio Department

of Agriculture,” he said.

Regarding remaining costs, an additional number of smaller grants, and about $75,000 in grassroots donations funding, have also gone toward construction, as fundraising continues.

Tables and chairs are provided and the building is available for purposes consistent with facilities of its size and type.

The all-season event center features central heating and air-conditioning, and includes a catering kitchen, banquet hall and ample parking.

Wi-Fi connectivity is currently in the works.

Principal use ongoing — and during the fair — will be among 4-H and Junior Fair Club meetings and activities, Dawson said.

“And the old center was built in the mid-1940s as a picnic pavilion,” he added. “It was a pole design in an era before engineered roof trusses, so it was loaded with poles and did not have a real foundation.”

In addition, more space is available, as the new center measures 7,200 square feet, 2,400 square feet larger than the old building, Dawson noted.

Rental rates are published on the Lake County Fair’s website.

All rentals will be subject to novel coronavirus health directives and safety protocols in place at the time of the event. Security deposit, set up and removal, and standard cleaning fees also apply.

Contact the Lake County Fair office at 440-354-3339 for more additional rental rate information or to set up an appointment to view the building.

SUBMITTED The new Youth and Community Center at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Painesville Township is now available to rent for groups and special functions.