What next for Davis Events Center?

Officials ponder how to make site mesh with parkway plans

FARMINGTON — There's bad news and there's good news for Davis County residents' beloved Events Center.

The bad news is that if the Utah Department of Transportation's preferred option for a North Legacy Parkway happens in the next 15 years, it will slice off a portion of the Davis County Events Center, formerly called the Davis County FairPark.

The good news is that the Davis County Board of Commissioners has begun studying the issue to figure out how best to make the Events Center, location of the annual Davis County Fair, fit in with future freeway plans.

Tuesday, commissioners received a report from HOK Smith Forkner principal David Forkner, who told them that improvements can be made to the Events Center regardless of a North Legacy Parkway.

Those improvements, depending on scope, could cost $2.45 million to $7.9 million and would re-orient the Events Center.

If the freeway comes through, its alignment would require the removal of a 10,000-square-foot exhibition building and would take out about 10 acres of land, including 320 paved parking spaces.

Forkner walked commissioners through various layout scenarios for the Events Center to improve it. All five options called for the replacement of the racetrack with lawn areas.

Forkner told commissioners that if they wanted to relocate the Events Center, it would likely cost $32 million, not counting the cost of acquiring new land.

"I would recommend you don't do that," Forkner said, because the Events Center is seen as part of the community social fabric of Davis County.

With future business development to the north, the Events Center could reap benefits from that and vice versa, he said.

Not only did the 2007 Davis County Fair draw an estimated 42,000 people, but during the year, the Events Center hosted the equivalent of 723 days' worth of events from all around the United States.

In 2008, it will host barrel racing, dog agility practices, horse shows, rabbit shows, 4-H events and a Dutch oven cook-off, among other events.

"We're in a growth mode with the Events Center," said Commissioner Alan Hansen, who sits on the Events Center's board.

Commissioner Louenda Downs said the center is becoming an economic generator for Davis County.

"We need to be a step ahead of some of the possibilities that could be in our future," she said.

By the numbers

Davis County Events Center by the numbers:
Size: 58 acres
2007 Fair attendance: 42,000 (estimated)
Event days: 723
2007 total attendance: 91,000 (estimated)
2007 revenue generated: $447,363
2006 revenue generated: $391,159

---

E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

Comments