Park County reviews fair, parks and recreation spending as groups seek modest grants

Park County commissioners spent a substantial portion of their work session examining how county and volunteer money supports fairs, youth sports and trail projects.

Presenters reported the fair advisory board did not request additional county dollars for the coming year and that routine revenues — ticket sales, donations and fundraisers — plus a cash carryover of about $129,000 are being saved for targeted repairs such as power upgrades in the beef barn and pig wash racks. Staff also noted the fair deferred a concert this year, removing what was estimated as a $25,000–$35,000 expense from the budget.

Dan Hammond, “chair of the park,” outlined parks and recreation grants used to support local volunteer groups. He described partial financing for a range picker (the total cost was cited as about $167,000) and a new study for the Sunlight Basin trail system funded in part with county support. “We don’t get a lot of these long-term legacy projects,” Hammond said, adding that the county aims to direct limited funds to projects that provide lasting public benefit.

Staff told the board the county has tightened application requirements — now using an online form and generally asking for three bids on capital purchases — and that the county prefers to fund equipment or capital over salaries or insurance. Commissioners and staff discussed steering some requests toward state outdoor recreation funding programs and noted some groups had not applied this year, possibly after seeing earlier cuts.

The board requested a small number of follow-ups on application details and carryover timing; no formal appropriation was taken during the session. The county scheduled further budget work sessions ahead of final hearings.