Napa County Grand Jury
• 2016-2017
Napa County Fairgrounds The County's Orphan Asset
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 11 findings
F1
The Grand Jury finds that:
The Napa County Fairgrounds is a substantial asset, both to Napa County, and especially to the City of Calistoga and the surrounding northern Napa Valley community.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
The Grand Jury finds that:
At the outset, the Board of Supervisors delegated the operation and maintenance of the Fairgrounds to a private, not-for-profit organization to which it provided little or no oversight and that this arrangement has never been seriously reviewed.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
As soon as practicable, the Napa County Board of Supervisors revise its contract with the Napa County Fairgrounds Association to focus that organization’s efforts exclusively on the funding and operation of the Napa County Fair and related community activities.
F3
The Grand Jury finds that:
Failure to exercise proper stewardship of the Napa County Fairgrounds has been institutionalized in the behavior of all responsible for several generations.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
The Grand Jury finds that:
The current Fairgrounds operations consist of the County Fair and four separate enterprises, the management and maintenance of which exceeds the expertise and resources of the Napa County Fairgrounds Association.
Related Recommendations (2)
R5
As soon as practicable, the Napa County Board of Supervisors contract the operation of the Calistoga Raceway, the Mount St. Helena Golf Course, and the Calistoga RV Park to concessionaires knowledgeable and competent to operate those enterprises efficiently and profitably.
R6
As soon as practicable, the Napa County Board of Supervisors revise its contract with the Napa County Fairgrounds Association to focus that organization’s efforts exclusively on the funding and operation of the Napa County Fair and related community activities.
F5
The Grand Jury finds that:
The Napa County Fairgrounds and its buildings are in a state of chronic decay, the result of systemic lack of necessary maintenance and by at times overt neglect that has extended over most of the Fairgrounds’ existence.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
The Grand Jury finds that:
The State’s severe reduction of financial support for the Napa County Fair in 2011 may have abrogated its Land Tenure Agreement with Napa County. Regardless, the Land Tenure Agreement expires in 2024.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2
By December 31, 2017, the Napa County Board of Supervisors direct the County Executive to investigate whether any California counties with similar land tenure agreements concerning their county fairs have terminated those agreements and, if so, what consequences they experienced.
R3
By 2020, the Napa County Board of Supervisors fully determine the implications of the agreement’s 2024 termination and set in place plans for the Fairgrounds future development and operation.
F7
The Grand Jury finds that:
The Napa County Fair itself is in serious decline, with its continued operation in doubt.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
The Grand Jury finds that:
The ancillary function of the Fairgrounds as an emergency refuge for victims of flooding, wildfires, or earthquake is important, even vital, to any future development of the Fairgrounds themselves.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Napa County Board of Supervisors’ plans for the Fairgrounds’ future include provisions for the Fairgrounds’ use as an emergency refuge for the victims of natural disasters in the region.
F9
The Grand Jury finds that:
The conduct of the Napa County Fairgrounds Association Board has been at times dysfunctional, with some Board members publicly complaining about lack of transparency in the Board’s financial reporting.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
Any actions taken on renovation, development, or repurposing of the Napa County Fairgrounds involve explicit agreement between the Napa County Board of Supervisors and the City of Calistoga.
R6
As soon as practicable, the Napa County Board of Supervisors revise its contract with the Napa County Fairgrounds Association to focus that organization’s efforts exclusively on the funding and operation of the Napa County Fair and related community activities.
F10
The Grand Jury finds that:
Some of the complaints expressed by the former dissenting members of the Napa County Fairgrounds Association Board have merit: in particular, complaints about golf course maintenance, managerial decision making, and a general lack of transparency.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
As soon as practicable, the Napa County Board of Supervisors contract the operation of the Calistoga Raceway, the Mount St. Helena Golf Course, and the Calistoga RV Park to concessionaires knowledgeable and competent to operate those enterprises efficiently and profitably.
F11
The Grand Jury finds that:
A Joint Powers Authority (or Agreement), currently being discussed by the Board of Supervisors and the Calistoga City Council, could allow for long term contracts with concessionaires to incentivize investment in and development of Fairgrounds facilities. 11
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 1
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CL1 Page 10It is clear to the Grand Jury that the Napa County Fairgrounds has been the victim of long term neglect, both in terms of the maintenance of the on-site facilities and in terms of the lack of direction in the purposes to which the site is put. Over decades, the County Board of Supervisors 4 Source: Napa County Fairgrounds Association operating budget statements for 2014 and 2015 and April 30, 2016 Summary of Operations for 2016 10 has given little attention to the site, its development, or the uses to which it is put. Instead, the Board has delegated that responsibility to a private organization through a long succession of five-year contracts that give that organization neither the incentive nor the power to do the systematic maintenance and long term development that such a facility requires. For all its good intentions, the Napa County Fairgrounds Association is unable to do more than maintain current operations while incurring an ever-growing backlog of deferred maintenance.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Napa County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office