A new roof is high on the list of improvements at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds the county hopes to achieve over the next couple years with $500,000 it’s receiving in federal funds.

ENTERPRISE — The Wallowa County Board of Commissioners got one step closer to implementing repairs on the fairgrounds, Wednesday, Nov. 3, as they approved the grant initiation process to obtain a promised allocation of $500,000.

Commissioner Todd Nash said there currently is legislation in Congress that’s been passed unanimously by the Senate and is expected to go through the House.

“But it’s a slow process to get the money in the bank,” he said. “It’s slower than what we thought.”

The county fair board provided a list of projects that are hoped to be completed. Nash read the list that included the indoor arena/show barn, food booth, replacing the ventilation system in the kitchen, remodeling restrooms for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, grounds irrigation, the outdoor arena, new implements for the tractor, a drainage system for the swine barn, support replacement in the beef barn, enclose the maintenance shop under the grandstands, upgrade the Quonset building and its restrooms for ADA compliance.

Also on the list are projects at the Cloverleaf Hall, part of which will be paid with money donated by Wallowa Memorial Hospital. Those projects include updating the heat pump system, remodeling restrooms for ADA compliance, a generator to use during power outages and movable room dividers.

The list has work scheduled to run from March 2022 to September 2024.

The total budget for estimates to have the projects completed came to $742,000. The commissioners noted they have received donations from other sources to supplement the federal funds.

The federal funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act, signed earlier this year. As Nash noted, the $240 million in ARPA funding for the state was divided between Oregon’s 90 state senators and representatives to hand out for projects in their districts. Each senator received $4 million and each representative received $2 million that they then requested to send to those projects.

Nash said District 58 Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, was instrumental in obtaining the money for the fairgrounds.

Initially, the money was expected to simply be passed onto local entities. But it has been turned into a grant process.

Commissioner Susan Roberts is still wondering what will be required of the county.

“What’s the state asking of us?” she asked.

“They have not laid that out yet, and I don’t know of anyone else who has received one of these,” Nash said. “It’s never easy as it seems, but I’m confident we’re going to get the $500,000.”

Roberts shared Nash’s confidence, but still wants to know what state requires.

Commissioner John Hillock is eager to get as much preparation done as possible.

“We need to prioritize these things and decide this is No. 1, this is No. 2 and get estimates,” he said. “Because the metal prices (for example) a year from now might be double what we think.”

Fair Board Chairwoman Brinda Stanley agreed, attempting to assure Hillock that plans are underway.

“We have had a little bit of guidance on some of the projects,” she said. “We hope we’re in the ballpark.”