Fairgrounds board discussing contract to purchase property for livestock shows 

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- County board members continue to plan the development of a livestock show arena for local kids. 

Members of the Buchanan County Commission and Fairgrounds Board are touring East Buchanan Middle School on Wednesday afternoon and discussing a contract with the district superintendent. 

Part of the contract involves transferring the memorandum of understanding Buchanan County had with the school district to the Fairgrounds Board. 

“We will fund the Fairground Board,” Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson said. “Part of our funding would be for the purchase of that building, but that (contract) gets us removed from owning anything. The Fairground Board will own that.” 

Construction on the new East Buchanan Middle School is well underway in Gower. The progress can be seen in a social media post from Al J. Mueller Construction.  

The post from earlier this week states that they are on track to open for the 2025-2026 school year. Another provision in the contract allows construction to begin in the summer if the fairgrounds were built to the west of the school at 301 N County Park Rd. in Easton. 

“That would allow us to start over the summer, if in fact, we could do anything, whether it's pouring footings or things like that while the kids weren’t there,” Nelson said. 

Negotiations on the purchase price of the property are ongoing, but Nelson said prior discussions involved paying up to $250,000. 

“That'll be something that the Fairground Board will negotiate,” he said. 

Members of the board discussed the livestock arena size in February and decided on an enclosed 160 by 250-foot structure. 

“Concrete would hopefully be started in the summer sometime and be ready to go after the dirt work's done,” Nelson said. 

Other factors in the construction timeline include the availability of steel and the availability of a contractor to erect the livestock arena. 

One company told Nelson that if the board were to approve construction on March 1, its team would not be available until October. He estimates that the show at the arena will be held next spring. 

“I mean, it seems like a long time, but not when somebody says, ‘Hey, by the way, we'll start putting it up in October,’” Nelson said. “It’s exciting, but I’d love for it to move faster.”