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Reprinted from The Argus: Cautious consensus reigned over hasty action at a Tuesday meeting of a Washington County Fair Complex Revitalization Task Force work group considering bringing a large-scale Renaissance festival to the fairgrounds. Though a majority of the 17-member group was prepared to tell Royal Faires President Bob Levine they were ready to deal, concerns about parking and timing voiced by a very vocal minority swayed the group into a compromise of exceptional verbosity. The vote was 15 - 2 in favor of "a recommendation to the Fairgrounds Revitalization Task Force to continue discussion in a process with the Renaissance festival to resolve current issues and come to a decision so that when the issue of parking can be resolved we can be in a position to make a decision of engaging the Renaissance festival."
Consultant Steve Siegel said Royal Faires wanted to make sure the Port of Portland would allow it to use adjacent land south of the airport for overflow parking, and that was contingent on the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA also has to approve moving the Oregon National Guard from the west side of the fairgrounds to the southeast corner, so it made more sense to present all the proposals at the same time, Siegel said. Those supporting immediate approval of the fair said a long-term deal with a classy organization like Royal Faires would bring a source of income to the county on a piece of land that has sat barren for decades. "To me, the appeal is he's paying his own way," said Allen Van Volkinburgh, a member of the task force. "If we are going to commit, let's do it right away." Other members, including county Commissioner Andy Duyck, Fair Boosters Lyle Spiesschaert and Dave Rohrer, and former county Commissioner John Leeper said the timing wasn't right. Voters will decide in November whether to pass a bond to begin construction on the county's current master plan for the fairgrounds, including a 90,000-square-foot exhibition hall. The proposed Renaissance fair buildings would be built on 15 acres east of Northeast 34th Avenue that are set aside in the master plan for "future development." The two Boosters favored waiting until the management structure of the fairgrounds gets sorted out, which likely won't happen before Election Day. Leeper and Duyck said more alternatives for future development should be explored, which could promise a healthier revenue stream. Lisa Dupre, marketing director for the complex, said the Renaissance fair buildings would complement the fairgrounds buildings, whether the bond is passed or not. The feast hall and a jousting arena, as well as numerous shops and stages, could be used without restrictions for all kinds of events except for the six to eight summer weekends of the Renaissance fair, she said. "We tried to pick it apart and find flaws, but it didn't have any," Dupre said. Member Delna Jones, fair board President Herb Hirst and fair board member Don McCoun were among those who pointed out that the fairgrounds didn't exactly have a lot of suitors banging down the door to use the acreage. "It's a source of income, some income, on that piece of property," Hirst said. Fair board member Renee Cannon wondered what the reaction of the group would be if it received a $1.5 million grant to build infrastructure on the complex, the amount Levine has promised to spend. The Renaissance festival and other events could bring in people from miles around for wine festivals, Shakespeare festivals or Oktoberfest, she said. "I think we are really missing an opportunity here," Cannon said. "Yeah, (parking) is a problem. But we're supposed to be entrepreneurial on this board." |
