FILER, Idaho — Twin Falls County may have an opportunity to bring an event center to the fairgrounds — but voters would have to give it the final OK.
The Twin Falls County Fair Foundation has a feasibility study and a site plan to build a 120,000 square-foot event center on the east side of the fairgrounds. The building would have the ability to host indoor rodeo events, trade and consumer shows and sporting events, with a stadium seating 5,000.
But Fair Manager John Pitz is gambling on several things to take place before that could happen.
First, he'd need to get approval from the County Commission to get a May ballot initiative for a bond issue. He's also hoping a sizable private donation will come through in mid-February.
"If that comes through," Pitz said, "the bond will be considerably less."
Finally, two-thirds of Twin Falls voters would have to vote "yes" to allow the county to get a bond issue for the event center. It's a project that has been estimated to cost around $30 million — but with private funding, Pitz hopes the county could do it with about a $10 million bond.
Friday afternoon, Pitz will meet with the Twin Falls County Commission to go over his proposal and seek approval to get an attorney to work on the wording for a ballot initiative. The county has until March 16 to submit ballot initiatives for the May election, he said.
County Commissioner Terry Kramer said it would be nice to have an event venue other than the College of Southern Idaho's Expo Center. The county fairgrounds already has supporting infrastructure in place.
"You own the land and it has the infrastructure, so you won't have to build everything," he said. The problem: "You can run it, but you never have enough money to build it. It'll have to be paid by taxes."
The commission has seen only example concepts and designs, Kramer said, but commissioners hope to get a full presentation on Friday.
As proposed, the center would have a 150-by-300-foot cement event floor surrounded by 5,000 seats. A 2016 feasibility study prepared by AECOM Technical Services Inc. notes that a slightly smaller capacity, such as 4,000 seats, would still allow the center to be successful.
Additionally, the building would have a 150-by-250-foot dirt floor for smaller rodeo and roping events. More dirt could be hauled onto the concrete floor for larger events.
The report estimated the event center would begin with hosting 68 events a year, with an annual attendance of 95,250.
The concrete floor, Pitz said, would be more attractive than the CSI Expo Center for certain events — and would bring the potential for large trade shows — such as home and garden shows, RV shows and boat shows. The center would also up the fairgrounds' ability for bringing in rodeo events.
"The biggest thing is you can run more year-round because you don't have to worry about the weather," he said.
The event center would also have an indoor kitchen and concessions stand, plus an event show room. An adjacent alfalfa field would provide 15 acres of parking for the east-facing center.
All the land for the event center and parking is used to grow hay and for parking, Pitz said.
The city has not formally analyzed bringing an event center to Twin Falls, city spokesman Joshua Palmer said. But an ad-hoc committee this year will oversee a feasibility study for a possible recreation center.
"It would be open space for athletes and sporting events as well as community events," Palmer said.
The rec center could also have spaces for classes that would address public health in some way. The feasibility study will help determine what can and should be done, how much it would cost, and if it would be self-supportive.
AECOM's study projected an economic boost to the area from having an event center. The center in its first year would bring $3.3 million in gross direct spending. Operating revenues were estimated at $588,000, with net income of $15,000.
While the event center wouldn't be a big money-making operation for the fairgrounds, Pitz said, it would be self-supporting. It would also largely require only existing staff and equipment.
Twin Falls County voters rejected past ballot measures for an event center bond issue — first in 1997, and again in 2006. Pitz said the last measure failed by less than 30 votes.
The Twin Falls County Commission may require the fairgrounds to secure the private funding before commissioners agree to a ballot measure. If voters then past the bond issue, the fair board could solicit bids this year, Pitz said. Construction could take up to a year-and-a-half.
