Tulare County Fairgrounds to get $11M facelift
The Tulare County Fairgrounds will soon be getting a much-needed multi-million dollar facelift.
Why, you ask?
“There are very old buildings there,” Tulare Mayor Terry Sayre said.
Old? Yes, but it still gets a lot of visitors.
“It seems like there’s always something going on there, and that draws people to Tulare,” Sayre said. “They come and may need to stay overnight or go to a restaurant. It’s an economic development entity for the city as well.”
In addition to hosting the annual Tulare County Fair, the facilities are used for high school athletics, fundraiser events, a July 4 fireworks show, and races at the Thunderbowl Raceway.
But one of the most important functions of the fairgrounds is providing shelter to residents during an emergency. For this reason, California Department of Food and Agriculture awarded Tulare County Fairgrounds $11 million to build a multi-use resiliency center.
“We’re really excited that these improvements will allow the fairgrounds to be utilized by the entire county in times of emergency,” Sayre said.
A place to go in times of need
The money comes from the state's Fairground and Community Resilience Centers Program and aims to support “resiliency projects at neighborhood-level community centers,” food and ag officials said.
Tulare County Fairgrounds CEO Dena Rizzardo said fairgrounds are on call 24 hours a day as emergency centers.
Last winter, when Tulare County experienced extreme flooding events, the facilities served evacuees and large animal livestock for 42 days. It was also used for 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic as a vaccination and testing site.
"We were activated for so long and are needed within the county for emergency services, no matter what those emergency services look like," Rizzardo said.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross said funding of this type proves county fairgrounds' value to their communities.
“When disasters and emergencies happen, Californians often look to local community centers for refuge, information, and guidance,” Ross said. “These grants will strengthen our communities’ ability to provide shelter and extend services during emergency events, and the improvements will also benefit residents who use these centers throughout the rest of the year as well.”
Some of the buildings on the fairgrounds date back to the 1940s. Not all have modern heating and cooling systems; some aren’t up to code.
Since Rizzardo has been CEO, she said the fairgrounds invested roughly $3.5 million of its own money toward renovations.
“We’re turning over our funds as fast as we can to improve the fairgrounds, and now we're receiving building improvements,” she said.
The grant will allow for the demolition of two buildings and the construction of the new 34,000-square-foot multi-use resiliency center.
The new building will have two small conference centers in the front, a kitchen, and sanitation facilities. It can house livestock, evacuees, and first responders in an emergency and as an event rental space.
Money will also help fund a fully functional commercial kitchen in a separate building.
CDFA announced $89 million in May for emergency shelters and infrastructure at California’s fairgrounds.
Tulare County Fairgrounds is one of 12 grant awardees.
The awarded money will support other community projects around the state, including building remodels, HVAC systems, livestock barns, event centers, safety shelters, kitchens, and sanitation facilities.
Kings County also received $3.5 million to pay for various infrastructure upgrades.
“Being a member of this community, outside of city council, I certainly appreciate what the fairground brings to our city, and to our county but particularly our city," Sayre said. "It’s a place for people to congregate in many ways.”
The projects are still being planned; however, Rizzardo said construction-related work on Tulare County Fairgrounds is said to start in October 2024.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Fairgrounds to get $11M facelift
