Stick a fork in it

To help put the frenzy to rest, the Jackson Town Council voted decisively recently to offer Teton County a 50-year lease agreement. If successful, such a long-term lease could ensure that the grounds currently used for the Teton County Fair, Jackson Hole Rodeo, summer and winter recreation, a winter dog park and snow storage could remain intact for the foreseeable future.

The decision to pursue conversations with Teton County officials to clarify the fairgrounds’ future is a commendable move to erase doubt about the town and county governments’ intentions. Transparent communication and decision making will save the valley from years of debate and unnecessary conflict, while giving certainty to a treasured community asset.

The Teton County Fair and rodeo grounds topic exposes polarizing and important community questions. Should this property continue its historic use for the fair, rodeo and recreation, standing as a testament to the community’s Western roots and cultural values and keeping them just a few blocks from the Town Square? Or would the best use of that land be for dense affordable housing to help meet the community’s ever-present workforce housing needs?

For now, arguments that the fairgrounds property should be used for housing are moot. With subsidized rental housing recently developed on the southeast corner of the fair property and two massive workforce housing projects greenlighted for the nearby Virginian campground and northern South Park, public resources, staffing and funding for housing projects likely will be tied up for decades to come.

So now it’s time for county officials to follow the Town Council’s lead and put the divisive issue of the fair and rodeo grounds’ future to rest.

Join us in supporting the irreplaceable cultural resources that exist today, secure the fairgrounds with a long-term lease, and put a fork in the divisive and often misleading rhetoric.

Jackson Hole News&Guide

March 27