Developing county fairgrounds on the table

Maintenance costs, profits factors in study of options

The board of the nonprofit Montgomery County Agricultural Center Inc. met Tuesday in a closed session with about 150 of the organization's nearly 2,200 lifetime members to discuss financial circumstances and the recent decision to engage in a study with the City of Gaithersburg about possibly developing the fairgrounds site.

The grounds and buildings at 16 Chestnut Street, assessed at nearly $17 million in July, ‘‘is not for sale,” said Marty Svrcek, the agricultural center's executive director. ‘‘Our top choice is to stay where we are.”

However, the cost of maintaining the facility is growing as the need to upgrade the aging center is becoming more pressing, he said.

Only four of the past 11 years have been profitable for the center, while electric, sewer and gas bills have risen demonstrably, Svrcek said.

If the land is sold, profits must be reinvested in another fairgrounds facility elsewhere in the county, according to the agricultural center's charter

A central concern is the long-term viability of the nearly 60-year-old county fair, which organizers hope their grandchildren's grandchildren will attend, Svrcek said. At the same time, fair officials want to ensure the annual event remains an affordable family outing.

The strategic planning committee of the agricultural center has said that ‘‘if it makes good business and economic sense,” it would consider eventually selling the land in the heart of Gaithersburg, which was bought for $12,500 nearly 60 years ago, Svrcek said.

‘‘Gaithersburg is certainly not the agrarian farm-based place it once was, and as the city - actually the whole county - has changed, we have to change with it,” he said.

However, Svrcek said the organization could decide to stay where it is and renovate existing facilities or find ways to fund a property upgrade.

‘‘Once we know what kind of vision for this land there is, then we can determine the value of the land and that data becomes an essential part of determining other economic opportunities for the agricultural center,” Svrcek said.

To help do that, fair officials plan to begin working with city planners to adopt a new master plan for the 62.3-acre property, now divided into two approximately 30-acre parcels that fall under separate zoning categories, he said.

The process is projected to take several years and will include design charrettes with community input and public hearings.