Haywood County cut funding to all outside agencies this year in order to deal with its budget crunch. This is excellent. Unfortunately, the fairgrounds board had procured a loan to build a large, covered arena and a second exhibition hall. Board members were counting on the county to help them make payments. Unable to pay its debts, the fairgrounds faced foreclosure. The fairgrounds board therefore appealed for relief, and the county commissioners voted to purchase the buildings. They also approved applying for $600,000 to $800,000 from the federal deficit in the form of a USDA loan to cover the purchase price. The commissioners considered it a bargain because they would only be paying installments of $40,000 a year rather than the $150,000 they’d been giving to the fairgrounds.
by Leslee Kulba
Wild West blogger