Civil Grand Jury Finds Plumas County Fairgrounds Need “Polishing”

QUINCY — An investigation by Plumas County’s civil grand jury has found that the county fairgrounds, which are the site of the annual Plumas-Sierra County Fair and many other events, are suffering from deferred maintenance and a chronic budget shortfall. The jury’s findings are the result of a 9-month investigation into the fairgrounds’ facilities, operations, and finances, summarized in a report issued April 6. The report describes the fairgrounds as a “jewel of Plumas County” that is in need of “polishing.”

The fair’s 62-acre site in East Quincy is owned by Plumas County and features a wide range of structures, including buildings used for meetings and exhibitions, a grandstand, a circle track, livestock barns, a horse arena, and a campground. The facilities are operated by just two year-round full-time employees—the appointed Director of the Fair Department and a Maintenance Supervisor—plus seasonal workers hired during the summer.

The grand jury found the fairgrounds structures, many of them built in the 1950s and ‘60s, in varying states of repair. While some buildings have been renovated recently, others were reported to need major repairs. The jury found particularly acute maintenance needs around the horse barns and arena, which are regularly used by the Rodeo and Equine Studies programs at Feather River College, local 4-H and FFA chapters, and other organizations.

The grand jury attributed unmet maintenance needs to inadequate staffing and revenues below the amount needed to meet expenses. According to the jury’s report, the fairgrounds have had an average annual operating deficit of approximately $340,000 over the past 3 years, which has been offset by one-time funds from pandemic-related grants and payments for use of the fairgrounds for a fire camp during the 2021 Dixie fire. The report noted a lack of a budget line item for maintenance and a system for tracking work needed and completed as other factors contributing to the maintenance backlog.

Concerns about the Fair’s budget shortfall also surfaced during a mid-year budget review at the March 17 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. County Auditor-Controller Martee Nieman and budget consultant Craig Goodman said that the fair is facing a current cash deficit of about $300,000, but annual events that previously provided needed revenue will not take place this year. Nieman said that the High Sierra Music Festival, Americana Festival, and dirt-track car races have been canceled. Board Chair Mimi Hall said, “The fair should be a revenue generator that boosts the economy,” so the county should “develop and enhance the facilities for all kinds of uses.”

Among the grand jury’s recommendations were for the Board of Supervisors to form an ad hoc committee, including stakeholders from the local equine community, to develop a plan for improving and funding the fairgrounds horse facilities; to support maintenance work by hiring additional year-round staff or through partnership with county Facilities Services, and for the Fair Director to develop a system for tracking maintenance work and associated costs.

The grand jury’s report is available online at https://plumascounty.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/19263.