At a meeting held at the Ormstown Fairgrounds on December 18, members of the Livestock Breeders Association of the District of Beauharnois (LBA) voted to purchase a parcel of land adjacent to the fairgrounds and expand the property. The LBA is the non-profit organization that owns the Ormstown fairgrounds and runs Expo Ormstown, as well as other events.
LBA members were called to the Centre Agri-Culture for a presentation on the possibility of purchasing 22 acres of land to the east of the fairgrounds at a cost of $870,000. The land in question has already been used for overflow parking during Expo Ormstown, but purchasing it would allow the LBA to continue to expand and develop the potential of the fairgrounds as a whole.
The board of directors’ presentation outlined concerns about a lack of space for the ever-growing activities of Expo Ormstown. Board members said that in talking to committees about their needs and concerns, space was one that came up repeatedly. Scott McClintock of the board gave an overview of other fairs’ experiences of losing adjacent space they had counted on as development happened around them, and the impact of the changes on the fairs and their surrounding towns. Development of the piece of land in question was a particular concern, since eight of the 22 acres are zoned white, meaning the property could be used for any number of purposes including housing. This could be problematic given the fact that the white zone abuts on the fairgrounds.
LBA vice-president Stephanie Maynard noted the time-sensitive nature of this opportunity, saying “Land does not always come up for sale,” and “We are in a position that we can afford to consider this.”
The plan for financing the purchase includes a $250,000 down payment, and the mortgage will be for 25 years at $41,820 per year. The LBA will keep a year’s worth of payments in its savings account as a cushion.
Those attending the meeting asked questions about other less costly possibilities and the options were discussed, but many of those had already been explored internally by the LBA, and it had been determined that this approach would best protect the sustainability of the fairgrounds as an institution.
When the votes by those in attendance and those voting by proxy were tallied, the total was 167 in favour, four against, and one abstention.
McClintock said the land can already be used as-is except in very wet years, and the LBA will “plan and budget in years to come” for its future use.