While reading the Courier I had a crazy idea pop into my head. After thinking about the idea I could not decide which side of the topic I was on and decide I need to obtain more information to make a decision. The crazy idea was; "Should the City of Winfield consider a new location to build a new fairgrounds?" On one side you can argue; the city has to spend money on fixing the fairgrounds everytime it floods, money on the workers to perform the work, money in cleaning the buildings with bleech and water, loose money on damages, loose money on lost events, no storm shelter for people to seek shelter in a tornado. On the other side you can say; the fairgrounds is a historical location, everyone knows where the fairgrounds is located, it is already established, not a ton of money is spent on fixing the problems from flooding yet new land would be very expensive, or it would cost more to move than it would staying.
I just had a thought and would like to see which side everyone else would take. Let us know your thoughts!
I think your idea is a good one, Bilt. It would be quite a task to find a place big enough that could house a grandstand and several barns. Perhaps out east of town. They don't seem to battle flooding nearly as much as the south and west parts of town. Plus, if it is built along 160, you would still have a state highway that leads right to the fairgrounds. I don't know about the suggestion of putting it in Ark City. First off, in my opinion, I don't think Ark City is much more progressive than Winfield. Sure they had their Super Wal-Mart first. Sure they have a Walgreen's. What do they not have, you might ask. 1.) A Main Street program to help promote, retain and draw in downtown businesses. 2.) A nice sports complex like the Broadway Complex. 3.) A festival that doubles the population of the city that hosts it. I can't see people going to the festival they refer to as "Winfield" at a fairground in Ark City.
Aside from all of that, since the City of Winfield bought the fairgrounds years ago it has been known as the Winfield Fairgrounds, not the Cowley County Fairgrounds. A progressive community that is still trying to figure out how and where to build a new hospital probably can't handle much more on their plate in my opinion. They've been trying to figure out the whole hospital thing for years. And the plan they were looking at moves the hospital closer to Winfield than the current hospital. But, with all of that said, I still value your opinion. It is an idea. That is more than some people are willing to put out on the table.
First, a great big thank-you to the cities of Winfield and Oxford, Winfield really came together to make the festival happen in the face of adversity and Oxford opened their faclities and made many feel welcome. The lake would be a great location for the festival, it`s outgrowing the fairground; if a way could be found to control traffic and wristbands at the lake, Huzzah. Unfortunately, I saw LOTS of people at the lake without wristbands and the traffic was sometimes a nightmare, but for the most part, it all worked and everyone was happy. As for having the festival in Ark City - NO. I grew up in Ark City and have been in Winfield since 1990. For the longest time I thought Ark City was a bit more progressive, also. Not so. You couldn`t pay me to move back to Ark City. What Winfield builds, it`s for jobs and to improve the community. What Ark City builds is a few pet projects that benefit a few. It was a bit different this year, but the Phoenix will rise from the ashes.
The problem with it being out at the lake it is going to take away from the extra income the small businesses make in town. There wasn't nearly the traffic that there usually has been.
I realize I did call it the "Cowley County Fairgrounds" and not "Winfield Fairgrounds" since it was brought to my attention the City of Winfield purchased the fairgrounds. The question would be since it belongs to the City of Winfield, "Where would you put it within the city limits?" and "Would it be cost effective?" Thanks for your comments!
GOV'S DOCKING HELPED GET A '7' MI. 4 LANE FROM ARK CITY 2 WIN FIELD REMEMBER/ CAN U STILL RIDE THE TRAIN TO ARK CITY? WHY NOT KEEP THE FAIR GROUNDS AND GET GOV. GRANTS TO GUARD AGAINST FLOODING WHILE BUILDING TORONADO & FLOOD PROTECTION FOR CITIZENS ELSEWHERE????
