Pizza man, you are very sarcastic. This is no joking matter. Do some research and educate yourself. My point is that we should not be using up our prime farmland for development. Check out the building going on east of Hwy 14. That land should have never been rezoned for residential use. The planet simply cannot sustain our wasteful lifestyle indefinitely. In the US we consume 10x more resources per capita than the median for all other countries, & double that of the other industrialized nations. Google "Sustainable Consumption" and check out how you can be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Oftentimes the County Board has very enlightening discussions and never mean-spirited to boot.

I would have to agree that an aquatic center is a perfect example of an expense the city really can't afford to carry. (For a good cost analysis and in-depth discussion of why NOT to have an aquatic center, visit the website www.savethedogpark.com ) The park system is already stretched to the hilt. Thankfully there are "Friends" groups out there to help keep things running smoothly. If the city has excess money for recreation, a better option would be to restore the aforementioned facilities and increase the general maintenance staff.

We shall see what the new council thinks about this...

atticusfinch & jca - this is what makes this thread so interesting...thank you both for adding to the discussion.
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Does anyone know if the county board has such enlightening debates?
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Maybe I am too stuck in the past, but the fair, the beach, and Riverside Park are part of my upbringing, and I would like to see all of them upgraded, improved and protected.
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Sorry, but an aquatics facility just doesn't do it for me.

Regarding the Washington County site-even with all the usage the county still had to pay $205,000 to cover costs last year. And that was after a fair that featured good weather. What happens to the revenue stream if you get a rainy fair week? Even more taxpayer money to cover costs.

I'm not sure where danhartung posts went but here is the reply I got back about how the facility was funded at Washington County:

It started with the Washington County Farm Bureau donating $7000 of seed money for a study.

The County bought the site, an Agricultural and Industrial Society (AIS) was formed which built all the buildings except the Pavilion. That was built by the County. To build the rest of the buildings, the AIS applied for and received a 501(c-3) status so they did not have to jump through all the hoops the government has such as only Union Labor and all the bidding processes demanded by State Law. The AIS received a Grant from the County.

The AIS now rents the land under the buildings, and pays rent to the County. It still receives an annual Grant from the County but the rent income is more than the Grant. This Grant decreases every year and eventually should not be needed.

There is now over $30 million into the Fairgrounds and buildings.

For 2008 every weekend is taken in the Pavilion and our new Ziegler Family Center (about 30,000 squre feet still under construction) is already rented out for various functions after our County Fair which is the end of July. The AIS employs a full time staff of about 8 people, plus some summer help. The site is rented out year round for everything from weddings to craft shows, horse shows, etc.

giveahoot - i have a cousin who lives in a subdivision in LaPrarie who attended all the meetings.
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What I find amusing is here in SE WI our county board is filled with people who are running for state legislature or county exec.
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I am curious that maybe it takes progressive, future-oriented county executives to get anything done.
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But no, I would rather see Lions Beach reopened.
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My hometown of Janesville just does not have enough family attractions to keep anyone not workig at GM in town.

(Not) long gone (enough):
Were you involved on this process?

Using this prime farmland for anything but farming is irresponsible. The County Board should not allow it to be rezoned. There are only three places on earth that have the very rich "moli-soil" that we have in Rock County - an area in Brazil and another in Russia. We live on the Terminal Morraine - where the glaciers stopped and dropped their sediment - creating the richest farmland in the world. With expotential growth of the population, and the need to feed everyone, this farmland should remain just that. We have enough development in and around our city - how about people moving back into town, revitalizing the older neighborhoods, and being able to walk instead of using a car? Farmland in Wisconsin is being lost at alarming rates. The Fair Grounds is just fine where it is. No parking? Walk, bike or bus. Too small? Lower your expectations. Bigger is not always better.

atticusfinch - "Also consider that at the onset of the "deal", the group said up front that if the Town of LaPrairie was against the plan, they would withdraw it. LaPrairie opposed it, but the group pressed on anyway."
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Good point, and I have now pressed on to learn more about this "land swap" episode.
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In reading the minutes of both the county board and the town of LaPrairie, it was noted several times that the town board asked for "conditions" on the "interstate" property - owned by Hendricks/Mulder/Fitzgerald. I assume this meant the town board was not 100% against the idea of a county fairgrounds/expo center being located in their backyard.
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Perhaps the question now is, why were those conditions not agreed upon? Did the county object to accepting the $10m and the interstate property with conditions already in place that might limit what they could or could not place on the parcels? Or, was a town board member in on the "deal" that they would profit from? I dont't read anywhere that Hendricks/Fitzgerald/Mulder objected to any of the conditions.
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It appears from the minutes of the county meetings that no one from the town objected until the final meeting of the county board for the year.
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I defer to atticusfinch - I could not find anything on the WISDOT site.
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giveahoot - you have been debunked. Move on to another topic.
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MooShoo - as i stated in many previous posts, i have been going on written documentation. Your "recollection" may, or may not, be accurate. But it is difficult to argue with the collection of meeting minutes, newspaper reporting, the Hurtado Report, etc.
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atticusfinch - seems to have more info than what i have found.
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Regardless, IMO, the 4-Hers and the taxpayers should consider what the full costs are, what was passed-up, and why that "deal" or any other "deal" proposed by the businesss community will never happen again. And that is the truly sad thing, that something so new, so fun, so clean, safe, serving 100% of the public, could have been built with little to no taxpayer money.
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MooShoo - Just keep subsidising that fair with taxpayer money until the paint is gone, more pigs die from the heat, and some kid gets hurt. Don;t look back and certainly, don't look to the future.
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Sorry for the too long post.

My recollection of the land swap sure is differnt than Long Gones. That was the deal that Mulder kept changing weekly. One week he said it was this, and other week he said it was that. And oh by the way, it was a "take it now or never" deal. Anytime someone pitches that line, there has got to be a problem. To make it worse, Mulder hired a lobbyist to sell the deal to the County. What's wrong with that picture. The County Board saw that it was a rip-off and voted it down 27-2. Let it go Long Gone, its long gone.

Thanks for the clarification Atticusfinch. Your objectivity is appreciated.

Long time, the caustic comments aren't necessary, I know they probably make you feel important, but you can get your point across without that.

For those who can't let go of the wonderful "Land Swap" idea, consider that the proposal was several pages in length, not the brief summation provided by the Gazette. So to base an opinion just on the Gazette story is going off half-cocked.

Also consider that at the onset of the "deal", the group said up front that if the Town of LaPrairie was against the plan, they would withdraw it. LaPrairie opposed it, but the group pressed on anyway.

Also consider that although there was Interstate access, the road leading to the site was extremely inadequate to handle the anticipated volume of traffic that would ensue. The DOT had NO plans to upgrade the road, either.

Minor details? Not at all.

I also am looking into that. I just emailed the washington county fair and asked them what they did to get funding. I did notice that they are selling bricks with your name on it currently as some sort of fundraiser.

Dan, I emailed a friend of mine who has worked with the Washington County facility about how it was originally funded. When I find out I'll post back.

Should we light a fire under the county boards *@& and start a fundraiser to build a new fairgrounds? Maybe then they would see that people are serious about donating time and money to make it happen. How would one do that? Create a committe or group and open a savings account and ask for community support? I don't know how you go about it but would like to help anyone who did.

Long time gone: do you have a link to that report? I couldn't find it last night when I googled it.

wisconsinheat - thank you.
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It is baffling to me that DanHartung beleives exchanging 400+ acres for 300+ acres with interstante access and exposure, and a cash gift of $10 million dollars, and a deed restriction for the county farm acreage, YET, he correctly sees the need for a future access point to I-90 at County M.
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The county will never sell even at $50,000 per acre, so they risk losing the "taxpayers' money" to annexation with absolutely nothing to show for the time spent twiddling about a new fair grounds, the value per acre, rich businessmen exploiting the county elected officials, and whatever else fills their meeting time.
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Hurtado Report. Nothing I have posted is original. I simply reiterated what the county's own consultants wrote about the fairgrounds.

DanHartung said "Most county fairs are situated in county seats, and most county seats are in the center of the county."
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County seat? Janesville, or Beloit? Why did Rock County have TWO county courthouses? Your other questions were already answered by nearly every post below.
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Pouting? Kick the tires? A creampuff deal??
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DanHartung, if you really don't believe that the Hendricks/Mulder/Fitzgerald package deserved serious consideration, then your belittling response exposes you as someone who would rather condemn the 4-Hers to a substandard, even dangerous, conditions at the current site.
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Good luck with finding a better package for both the 4-H kids and the taxpayers of the county.

Long_Time_Gone,
You are absolutely correct in your post's on this subject. But, unfortunately with the mindset of the county board, some thing's never change. And probably never will.
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How about everybody take a deep breath, relax, and HIRE ANOTHER CONSULTANT AT X THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND AFTER LETTING THE REPORT COLLECT DUST FOR A FEW YEARS......REPEAT THE PROCESS.
Oh wait, I guess that's how they do it now.

It's unseemly to watch some County Board members drool at the prospect of selling out the County Farm for $50K per acre. Entrepreneurs would totally overdevelop that area to recover their investments, leading to traffic snarls, air pollution and stress on water supplies. How about letting everybody win with a 3-step process - 1) mine and sell the aggregate that sits under the Farm, 2) preserve 100 acres for the fairgrounds, and only then 3) allow "green" builders to responsibly develop the rest?

jca, you have posted that facility before, and it looks gorgeous. I'm curious how it was funded.
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I don't understand the objection to having the fair in Janesville. Janesville is the county seat, and it's in the center of the county. Most county fairs are situated in county seats, and most county seats are in the center of the county. It's not like the 4-Hers and Joe Craig conspired to make sure Beloiters or whomever feel unwelcome, nor is there anything in the structure of the fair today that seems to project that signal. I just don't get it. Is this like the way Janesville's "other"-siders complain about the east side?
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Long_Time_Gone, I'm glad you think the Hendricks deal was such a creampuff. I prefer to actually kick the tires a little bit, seeing as how it's my money. Give this pouting a rest, okay? It's done.

jca I am with you on getting the FFA and 4H families involved. I Would love to be apart of it.I am sure there are other people out there that would also like to help. So why dosn't the county board ask for help then?

To cocktail848, the first post on this topic; what can be brought in to a new fairgrounds? Check out this website; www.wcfairpark.com. Washington County put up this facility about 9 years ago and it is booked year round with every event under the sun; wedding receptions, car shows, tractor pulls, trade shows, livestock & dog events, concerts, crafts show, conventions. The pavillion featured on their homepage is amazing. It holds the administrative offices for the park, it has conference rooms perfect for meetings or conventions and it has a full banquet/kitchen facility that makes it perfect for wedding receptions or family reunions. The organization I work for tried to book an annual livestock event there about 7 years ago. The only stipulation was we wanted to choose a weekend that we could continually book year after year. We couldn't find one. There wasn't a weekend in the fall that we could call our own for the next 10 years because there were so many reservations. I'd like to see Rock County put up a fairgrounds like Washington and have to deal with that kind of a problem! The fairgrounds my organization currently uses is starting to get too small for our event. If Rock County put up a new fairgrounds we'd be one of the first organizations to contact them. I encourage the Rock County Board to quit dragging their feet and make this happen; we've been waiting long enough. If you need support, let the 4-H and FFA families in this county know what you need. We are a group of people who know how to work hard and get a job done.

Wahoo; You quite obviously don't come from a 4-H or FFA background. Would the Rock County 4-H Fair be missed???? For someone who only goes to eat fair food and entertain themselves on the midway, maybe not. The Rock County Fair is much more than eating, rides and grandstand entertainment. Do you know that the Rock County 4-H Program is the biggest in the state of Wisconsin? The kids who go through these programs are kids who will be the future leaders of whatever industry or business they enter. These are not the kids out walking the mall aimlessly every weekend because they can't find anything better to do. These are kids that are building leadership skills, trying new things, and helping others. In 2006 32 Rock County 4-Her's spent a week in Louisiana & Mississippi helping victims of Hurrican Katrina. These youth deserve to have their own fair to showcase their talents and skills. Your suggestion to combine the two counties isn't even realistic. What would be the advantage for Walworth county to take on Rock County? To anyone who has worked with the 4-H and FFA programs or the Rock County Fair as a volunteer your suggestion is ignorant and frankly a slap in the face.

Ray53511 - "What is the current Fairgrounds worth? If divided into 1/2 acre lots and used for residental it would be 37 lots say @ 20,000$ per lot would be atleast 740,000$ or maybe more?"
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If not for the deed retriction on the current county fairgrounds - as stated in the Gazette - the county could "land swap" the current fair site to Janesville, in exchange for a contract promise to never annex the county farm.
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THe city would have its prime spot for a new aquatics park, and the county could stop sweating the ever-expanding city limits of Janesville.
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Then again, someone will be on a quick draw to suggest putting the city aquatics complex on the county farm site, along with a new fairgrounds, a new expo center, a new horse race track, a new tractor pull area and a new goose hunting area for GIVEAHOOT and his pals.

giveahoot - "Hopefully one day I can shoot a goose out there before long gone and his pals buy it up!"
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Your mind is indeed feeble, glad you volunteered that.
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As I read it, the "gift" of $10 million was just that, a gift, for the county to place in whatever coffee can they wanted. What i read, and knowing several long-time appraisers, the value of 300+ acres on the insterstate was underappraised, and the value of the 400+ acres was grossly overappraised. But go figure, the articles I read said Hendricks/Mulder/Fitzgerald volunteerd to abide by the county's appraiser.
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So, did someone cook the books? Maybe. But no one really scrutinized what it means for the county to own 300+ acres with interstate access, AND $10 million dollars.
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Has anyone else stepped-up since all those articels appeared? No. Why? Probably because it raised the bar of expectations (Ott's $50k quote), and becuase no businessman wants to be speared by those county people who see the county farm as just that, a farm, forever and ever.
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As I stated, simply place a deed restriction on the county farm and be done with it. But then, no way can the county ever sell it for $50k an acre.

This argument is such a joke. Wisconsin has such expensive fairs and none of it go to the 4h-ers. Our premiums are the most pathetic around. I know quite a few kids who have dropped out of Rock County 4H because only a few select families win the meat animal shows. The small time families can have better animals and work harder, but the "right" family will win because of the family name.

Many years ago the current fair site was much larger than current. Lack of forward thinking limited the size that we have now.
The land at 14/51 is never going to be replaced as an opportunity for the area if sold.
Just how valuable will that chunk of land be for the future as Janesville grows around it.
I hope those in charge take into account the lost opportunities in the future of having a chunk of land this size available someday in Janesville.

The people in rock county own the land at 51 and 14. There is appox.300 and some acres, take a 100 acres for the fair and sell the other 200 and some acres to pay to move the fair grounds and build what is needed.

If we stopped having the fair, would anybody notice? We could combine the Rock and Walworth fairs. Walworth has the room and they always do a good job at running it.

My read on the story is the County is looking at the farm as well as other possible sites. Good for them because they should be looking at all the options. But that is not the real issue here. The real issue is whether to move the Fairgrounds. According to the story, that will cost $20 million. There is no land swap and there is no endowment. That means it is the property tax payer who will foot the bill. It is a lot to ask for a new Fairgrounds just because it is crowded one week out of the year. The county has bigger problems such as the old Rock Haven nursing home and a very overcrowded jail. It is also not the County's responsiblity to build an expo and try to compete with Madison and Rockford. Let a business take the risk. I say look at your choices but no decision is an option when the choices are not good.

What is the current Fairgrounds worth? If divided into 1/2 acre lots and used for residental it would be 37 lots say @ 20,000$ per lot would be atleast 740,000$ or maybe more?

Too bad somebody that lives between Janesville and Beloit couldn't give a heck of a deal on land for the fairgrounds. That is where it should be, between the county's two largest cities. It is not the "Janesville Fair".

To spend all that money on a property that is only used one week a year seems a little extreme. Rock County isn't exactly a mecca for big time entertainers to come even if there was a expo center built.

I'll admit that I don't take time to google everything and so I rely on my feeble memory, but I seem to recall that the $10M gift was actually part of the deal because of the difference in assessed value between the two properties.I would call that part of the purchase price, not some act of benevolence.

There was also a proposal from another local business man that never really got off the ground. He should have hired a lobbiest like the other guys did. I was never comfortable with that.

Either way I think we are better off still keeping the farm. The location is awesome but has limits as was pointed out earlier. There's enough room for a fairgrounds and then some. Hopefully one day I can shoot a goose out there before long gone and his pals buy it up!

wonders- i think also we need a new fair grounds. i was wondering what they would do with the old place i like your idea of recreation area. maybe small camground or just park

If Janesville builds a multi-million dollar fairgrounds, I'm afriad that they're just gonna pass the buck. I want some good family fun, but I also want to be able to afford it. The Jefferson fairgrounds admission fee is outrageous! Put in an outdoor movie theater, some Saturday night car races/demo derbies, maybe a skate park area. Have some different things there that can bring in revenue all year round without sticking it to us once a year.

What a waste of farmland. Nobody really goes to the fair. so let make it bigger. What is with this city?

DanHartung - perhaps i was too harsh.
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Your idea of ramps at I-90 and County M is indeed forward-thinking. But that idea was floated when I was a kid in Janesville and every farmer at that location fought it.
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Why would the city of Janesville give-up their tipping fees for the landfill? If they moved outside of the city limits, poof, city revenues are gone.
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Annexation adjacent to the curent landfill site, where there is also a rail line (google earth) to bring in other garbage and thus, revenue, is obvious.

DanHartung - "You" have the county farm, yes, but "you" do not have the "wisdom to make long-term plans," because if "you" did, and assuming what I have googled and read is accurate, then "you" missed a golden opportunity to make long-term plans regarding 300+ acres on the south side with interstate access, you missed an oportunity to bank $10+ million, you missed an opportunity to place a deed restriction on the new owners of the county farm, and you missed an opportunity to solve the county fairgrounds subsidy issue.
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I read the deadline was troublesome for the county board, but welcome to the real world. How do they begrudge 3 self-made business people from taking advantage of the tax code? Did it lessen the dollars to the county? Did it mean less acreage on any side of the equation?
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The deadline appeared to be a non-negotiable item, but the gift to the county was raised from $8 million to $10 million.
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What was so complicated about it?

First, ANNEXING is not BUYING, so that "city dump" theory is bunk. (They would probably want to find another former quarry to use, anyway.)
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Second, the Snappers deal MAY have been good or may have been bad, but we did not have time to evaluate it because of the deadline, which was solely there so the landowner could get a tax break. Rush rush rush. Well, we didn't need to rush, because ... we have the county farm. I think the answer to why it failed has more to do with the participants giving it a self-serving deadline than the county being short-sighted. Turning it down was wiser than jumping on something without time to consider all options.
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As for the east side, the city doesn't decide that. The businesses -- stores and manufacturers alike -- want to be near the Interstate, it's that simple. Janesville isn't big enough to support multiple successful "strips". I hope we can do better with Center and Court than in the past but you can't expect, say, Bed Bath & Beyond to suddenly think the old Ben Franklin is the place to be. Considering we do have businesses there like Pick'n'Save and Walgreen's (and the new Sub Station on Court), there's no conspiracy to keep development out of there.
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Finally, my vision for the north side has always been an I-90 interchange at County M or Manogue, making US-51 a north entrance to the city again, with retail development marching west from Milton Avenue. There's no interchange on the drawing boards, though, and there isn't enough residential development over there to support a strong retail presence. Basically it would probably end up being light retail along 14 and residential behind. We can continue to lease the farm until it sparks developer interest, but then we would face the question of finding new land even farther out from the city and the center of the county where a fairgrounds could be, and no guarantee we would have the benefits of easy highway access or favorable terrain. We have all that here, now, and the only question is whether we have the wisdom to make the long-term plans that will take advantage of it.

465 acres X $50k per acre = $23,250,000
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That is one big price tag for a developer to finance. If that figure were to be paid to the county, the density of the developement would be huge in order for any developer to recoup his investment and make a profit.
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Rent = $167 per acre X 465 acres = $77,655 to the county coffers per year.
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What is the current subsidy to the Fair? Let's assume it is $50,000 per year - less if attendance is strong - that leaves the county with a net gain of maybe $28,000 per year.
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$10 million gift - deposited into a money market @ 3% per year = $300,000 gain to the county, minus the subsidy to the county fair.

I Googled the articles - the county farm was appraised by the county appraiser for $50,000 per acre.
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The Hendricks/Fizgerald/Mulder land swap including a "gift" of $10 million, which many assumed would be dedicated towards the construction of the new fairgrounds and expo center.

I think their was an errant "zero" thrown on. They need to look closer.

To twerp13 and rcg61 - you are correct, the land appraisal might indeed be worth $50k per acre, BUT, if the county is sincere, and would rather the county farm remains a tillable farm forever, then the only honest thing to do is place a deed restriction on all or part of the acreage.
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The county will not do that though, because then the appraised land would not be worth anywhere near $50k an acre.
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And the "gold mine" of the county farm would be just that - a farm that could never be developed into a 1,000 home subdivision or a reatail mall or any mix in-between.

the building of the fairgrounds and year-around entertainment venue would be the biggest buzz created around here in many years. this would really be exciting to see done. i think everyone had good suggestions for different uses. WOW!!!!!! let's do it!........referemdum was a wondrful idea also. let's keep up the pressure and GET IT DONE!!!!

giveahoot - "I think that we would have all regretted that deal. If I remember correctly they even upped the price and extended their deadline a couple of times."
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You clearly did not follow the facts of the land swap. The newspapers reported that Hendricks. Fitzgerald and Mulder offered a deed restriction on the county farm, most likely to prove they had no other motives for the land swap. The deed restriction could have addressed the issue of future developement, if any, of what kind, etc.
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And their land on the interstate, at an interchange, was in fact, the best location of a county fair/entertainment complex that most people are now posting in favor of. The exposure of an interstate site - with exit ramps already in place. as so many here in Kenosha/Racine are in developement - would have been a huge money-maker for the county fair and whatever else would have been place there.
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I would say the fairgrounds issue will never be resolved because Rock County has no other rich business guys to donate $10 million.

no regular farm land is not worth that, but to a developer whit visions of big box stores, subdivisions, and chain resturaunts that is a price they MAY be willing to pay for that kind of prime land.

Come on be real there is NO Way you will get 50,000.00 per acre. What fool said it was worth that the sameones who over valued homes. My God look at what farm land is going for and it's no where near that

Good point...just what would your insurance premiums be like living accross the street from the jail? LOL besides I wouldn't want to live near where 2 major highways intersect. Can you imagine all of the noise???

Move it, we need it. It will be a great moneymaker too. Who wants to live in a subdivision across the street from the jail anyway?

I agree many people don't know all of the possibilites that would open up with the move to a larger fairgrounds. We could have a great year round facility. We could boost our local economy greatly by holding such events as those mentioned here and in other blogs. Not only would money come in from the rental of the grounds, but also to the local hotels, resturaunts and stores where our visitors would spend their money while they are at their event.

As it is our current grounds are very much under used mainly due to lack of space. Auctions, car sales, rummage sales are just a few of the events I have gone to during "non fair time" , so I do know there is a market for this kind of larger venue.
Perhaps it could even be more widely marketed as such? Perhaps the general public has forgtten that you can rent this facility?
The Rock County fairgrounds could become one of the best places to go in the stateline for family events and entertainment, but only if it actually gets built (hopefully in my lifetime LOL).

I find it interesting that people would think that if the fairgrounds were moved to this larger location that the land would would be of limited use like it is now.

Just think, if there were more land space available there would be more room to do things that can't be done at the current location. Reenactment rendezvous, animal shows and auctions, swap meets, car shows, larger events for the FFA and 4H...

Lots of things are possible it all depends on what is put out there if the county uses the land. This is where community suggestion comes in. Call, email, write and bug the committees involved to get yourselves heard.

JCK - If the city annexes the land the county does maintain ownership, but then must apply to the city for any change in use. If the city annexes and places the land in it's use plan as commercial/industrial and the county wants to put a fairgrounds there, then the city will most likely deny the request. The fairgrounds wouldn't pay any city taxes....industry will.

I'm thinking that a huge, commercially desireable plot of land at the intersection of 2 heavily traveled highways isn't the best location for a seldom used 'fairgrounds'. I'm guessing that more revenue could be generated thru some other use of the land since it is currently valued at $50,000 per acre. Perhaps there's some 'cheaper' property more on the outskirts of Janesville... perhaps on the far east, west, or south sides that would still be close to utilities?

Ok, so it is county land. Is it more important to build a facility that could be used year round and give the county residents a nice place to go? Perhaps with the fairgrounds a nice county picnic area could also be included. The current grounds are not used as much as they could be partly because it is too small. If the property is to sell, what is the real money the taxpayers would see per household? Would it be much like any other county dealings where it just sort of disappears? I think to use that property and keep it as county land, make it the fair grounds and recreation area. This city will grow fast enough; how about we give the future residents a nice place to call theirs.

Hendicks and Mulder never indicated what they were going to do with the county farm. We only know that they wwanted it real bad- they saw the market value- and they wanted to swap a couple of parcells out near the interstate and recomended that the county pay for a fairgrounds and Snappers park at the location(s) they were trying to sell. I think that we would have all regretted that deal. If I remember correctly they even upped the price and extended their deadline a couple of times. There was a lot of effort to get that deal done and if it had went through there would have beem a lot of us disappointed with the result.

The county board is right to go slow. It's possible that if they go in a particular direction there could be entertainment/events at times other than 4H Fair time. Either way, that has got to be some of the most valuable land in south central Wisconsin and it belongs to the taxpayers of Rock County. I would want them to proceed slowly, it's not going anywhere.

The big question that I have is how do those guys get permission to hunt geese out in that field next to the jail?? That looks like fun!

Asking the County Board to make a timely, well thought-out decision would be like asking the Democrats and Republicans to put forth a good presidential candidate. Ain't going to happen.

I'm alittle confused. If the city did annex the land why would the county be left with nothing as a previous contributor has suggested? Annexing the land doesn't transfer ownership of the land so the county would still own it and conceivably could build a new fairgrounds there.

twerp - read the Hurtado Report, and then post your support for higher (much) property taxes for building a new fairgrounds from scratch.
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When private money - greedy businessmen like Hendricks and Fitzgerald - offered a progressive and charitable plan to give something to the future, their hands were slapped.
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It is done. If the fair moves to the county farm, the subsidy to the fair board will grow exponentially - to build new facilities without that $10m the article mentions.

why doesn't it go on the far east side since that where the city thinks everything should go now-a-days

I have an idea lets put it on a referendum. Then let the voters of Rock County decide.

Maybe then we could finally get on with actualy building this fairgrounds instead of talking about it for years and years.

All I can see is that the county board is getting greedy. Maybe they are being lobbied by "big business" and are going to see a kick back...don't know just a speculation on my part.
Either that or they are being penny wise and pound foolish? Sure big bucks now and what then later? more homes, stores etc...that benefits mainly the city of Janesville. What a jewel they have in their hands for full of potetnital for serving all of Rock County, not just Janesville.

Build the new fairgrounds there and lets get it over with. Maybe then we can get some good entertainment at the fair. I think part of the problem with why the entertainment during the fair is poor is because the grounds can't hold large groups of people anymore. Build the new grounds, put up a huge grandstand, like Walworth County, and lets up the level of entertainment. Yes, there is the argument that bigger names cost more money. However, bigger names draw more people. More people = more revenue!!!!! Wake up County Board.

What a waste... I would hate to see that corner built up with more shopping malls and resturaunts. Just because it could be worth more money to the county (by being sold off)dosn't mean that it is the best choice for the county.

We need to invest in a new fairgrounds, one that can be easily reached, and that is able to be used year round. Invest in family fun, activities for the youth and bring extra revenue to Rock County.The county farm land is perfect for a new fairgrounds. If not a fairgrounds then leave it as farmland. Don't waste it.

I did see some time ago o a website something called the Hurtado Report re: the fairgrounds.
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Is that report being reviewed again?

garyprimer - you are only half right. There are 6 different processes to annexation.
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And the other 5 processes have been applied to city annexation in both "private" and "public" lands, in Rock County and nearly every county in SE WI, where growth is fast and furious.
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The locations that come immediately to mind is, Deforest and Windsor, and Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie.
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If the city does not have "plans" for the county farm, it is only because at this point in time, they do not want anything public.
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The city landfill will be expanded. I guess anyone can look at a map to see what the options are for expansion.

I think the County needs to use some of this
land for a Fairgrounds before the City Annexes
the land to the city. Then the County will have nothing.

I agree with Long_Time_Gone. This is gross incompetance by our county board to continue to ignore the fairgrounds issue, the new jail issue. Why not just make a decision and be done with it?? Why do we put up with the delays and disagreements? I understand it is our tax dollars, but if they would have done something years ago, it would have been close to being paid for by now. I mean come on! The fair grounds can be a year around venue/tax generator.

I forgot to mention that an annexation must be submitted to the state Department of Administration and approved by the same.

The land should be sold. The fairgrounds should remain where they are, particularly since it is only "used" for a few weeks out of the year. I do not understand the issue with the current location... the only thing I can think of is parking and that could easily be solved any number of ways. Why are our city (and county???) "leaders" so focused on growing the city of Janesville outwards instead of keeping the size and sprawl in check???

The city cannot just annex property on a whim. The owner of the property must apply for annexation and it must be approved at a public hearing. Furthermore, all persons living within the annexed area must consent to the annexation even if they are only renting property.

The county will want to do something with that property, before the city of Janesville finishes their 30-year plan for growth. My guess is the city intends to annex it into the city limits and the county will be left with nothing.
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As I look at Google earth, I would bet the city needs to expand the landfill and part of the county farm may very well be annexed for that purpose.
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Funny tho, how most are talking about a multi-use fairgrounds/entertainment complex. The county has already repudiated that idea. And the thought of another group of deep-pockets to fund a public venue was lost the day Mr. Hendricks passed and Mr. Milwaukee Bucks Jim Fitzgerald were treated so poorly by their hometown community.

No reason they couldn't parcel off a few "choice" lots and stiill have plenty of space for a fairgrounds.

Very good questions. I'm also wondering why they stopped farming that prime land. It is good tillable land for agriculture. Why do they always look at the all mighty dollar to sell for real estate growth instead of usefullness with a profit for the county in growing crops and a great fairgrounds with good usage during the year for other organizations.

My question is if they decided to turn the land into the new fairgrounds, what extras would be brought into the new fairgrounds to expand revenue during the fair? What extras could they bring in during non-fair week to expand revenue? Also, how much of the land would actually be drawn up as fairgrounds? All 300 plus acres?