The Wallowa County Fairgrounds are going to get some needed repairs.

And, local government handled the funding reception the proper way.

To us, that is a win-win.

As was reported in the Page A3 story this week, the county commissioners approved the receiving of a $500,000 federal grant through the American Rescue Plan Act — money that state Rep. Bobby Levy allocated from her allotted portion for the county to use in repairing some of the worn down structures at the fairgrounds.

It almost seems like a no-brainer to take the money and run, and one might wonder why there was a delay in getting to this point. After all, the announcement of the funds to Wallowa County was first reported on last June.

But a couple things are at play here. One, the wheels of government grind ever so slowly. The commissioners had to approve a grant application process, which they did in early November. It originally was supposed to be simply passed along to local entities, but was then turned into a grant process, we reported in November.

Commissioner Susan Roberts smartly asked then: “What’s the state asking of us?” Oftentimes, monies from the government don’t come without any strings attached in the form of a certain way they must be spent or certain things those receiving it must adhere to.

Even as recently as a couple of weeks ago, acceptance of the funds was tabled because of concerns over the state’s involvement in how the county received the funds.

The pause allowed for those questions to be answered, and once the commissioners and county counsel were satisfied, the money was accepted.

This is very wise on the part of the commissioners and those advising them, including counsel Paige Sully. Be certain of what you are getting and what is required of you, if anything is.

In this time of everyone grabbing everything handed to them by the government and not worrying about if there are requirements or even consequences (even if it is needed, as it is here), it is a breath of fresh air to see our local government take the time to make sure every I is dotted and T is crossed before accepting a chunk of money that will cover roughly two-thirds of the repairs.

It will benefit the county in the long run with improved grounds, and shows we have local leaders who are wise about money.

It is, truly, a win-win.