‘Potential loss of human life’
Fairgrounds relocation still a priority for county
The relocation of the Yuma County Fairgrounds continues to be a priority for Yuma County.
So much so that the Board of Supervisors agreed to include the issue on a list of federal priorities to be presented to Congressional officials this week.
While attending the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., some of the supervisors will meet with several members of Congress and/or their staff.
Before heading to the Capitol, the supervisors reviewed talking points they would consider with federal officials. Among the issues was a request for federal funding for the permanent relocation of the Yuma County Fairgrounds “to ensure Marine Corps Air Station-yuma can continue to meet its operations and training objectives.”
Yuma County, Yuma County Fair Board, City of Yuma and MCAS-YUMA have long been exploring ways to move the fairgrounds away from the flight path of the aircraft that take off and land at the adjacent air base.
Both MCAS and the fairgrounds are considered valuable assets. While the Yuma County Fairgrounds is representative of the county’s youth education and agricultural legacy, the military installation has a direct economic impact on the region of $581 million, according to the 2021 MCAS Statistical Summary.
The fairgrounds hosts 200 events annually, with a vast majority dedicated to youth activities. However, the site of the fairground brings the potential for crashes and accidents and with them the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits, partial or total loss of operational capability for the air station for an undetermined period of time, and the loss of reputation in the community.
Nevertheless, the supervisors wanted the main focus to be on the potential loss of life.
“We’re putting people in danger there. If something happens, there’s going to be death. That’s where the losses will come from,” Supervisor Tony Reyes said. “We talk about the possible economic impact of this, but in reality, it is a very dangerous place to put people in because if something happens it means some people lost their lives. I think we need to start off by saying a crash or similar events will result in loss of life.”
Alejandro Figueroa, director of economic development and intergovernmental affairs, noted that Vice Chairman Jonathan Lines has been “diligently” working on the fairgrounds relocation, with “solid support” from the county and city governments, the military, agricultural and educational communities, and the public at large.
Lines noted that a bill adopted in Congress in the last session changed ownership of the land surrounding the fairgrounds from the Bureau of Reclamation to MCAS and the Department of the Navy.
“Now the direct landlord to the fairgrounds is MCAS, Department of the Navy,” Lines said.
Chairman Martin Porchas asked that officials keep “realistic” figures in mind when it comes to how much can be spent on moving the fairgrounds.
“If it’s going to cost $100 million or over $100 million, that’s a lot of money, and it’s just going to take too long to do that,” Porchas said.
“If the county is thinking of putting any money, that amount of money, I’d rather see it going to roads,” he added.
The best scenario would be using “free land” from the federal government, he noted.
Officials have previously noted that the county’s best bet would be to buy federal land, which requires an act of Congress, but it would be “close to free.” A land swap is also a possibility. The state can’t legally give land away and is obligated to sell it, but the federal government can swap land or give the county land without a swap.
Reyes agreed that the federal government has to step up with a land offer. “Yuma County only has 8.8% private land. Why would we want to take a chunk of that to put the fair in? Why wouldn’t we just simply talk to the federal government and say you have large chunks of land in remote locations, well, not remote locations, but at least not in the middle of the city of Yuma or somewhere in San Luis or Wellton, where we could put this without the risk of having overflights right over there,” Reyes said.
The fairgrounds should be moved to a location “far away from development” but “close enough for people to go to without having to drive hours,” he noted.
Reyes suggested that if the property is free, then the rest of the entities can pay for the move with a combination of grants and federal funds, including Department of Defense funds.
Lines has met several times with the fair relocation committee and the “two-star general” that controls the military installation and Col. Chuck Dudik, commanding officer of MCAS.
“They both agreed that immediately moving it out of the clear zone was acceptable,” Lines said.
The county received $5 million from the state Legislature for fairgrounds relocation efforts. These funds will only pay for the temporary move of some equipment and infrastructure out of the danger zone within the current fairgrounds property. The permanent relocation to another site will take about $170 million, Lines said last year.
The Fair Board has also indicated that it is willing to contribute resources to complete the project. “It may be a loan or something like that that they can take care of over a 5-, 10-, 15-, 20year period so that what we are providing like-forlike and not providing a Taj Mahal on top of on top of the existing like conditions,” Lines explained.
“So we’re proceeding cautiously. I’m optimistic that we’re heading in the right direction, and we may have additional discussions as a board, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
Supervisor Darren Simmons noted that the relocation has to take place quickly because MCAS is getting busier. “The operation tempo is going to do nothing but continue to increase out there, especially with things going on around the world as they are. Yuma is going to be probably one of the premier bases for training for all countries. So the quicker we can get this done, the better,” he said.
“We started. We’re in the process of design,” Lines said.
The next step, Lines added, is completing a cost analysis. He projected “a year-and-a-half roughly” before being able to move the fairgrounds to a “temporary long-term relocation until we’re able to secure additional funding. It’s not the permanent solution. It’s a temporary long term while we again ask the federal government to assist in this.”