Poll: Extend fairgrounds lease and keep fair

A majority of respondents to an online Argus-Courier poll said that Petaluma should keep the Sonoma-Marin Fair at the fairgrounds property and not sell the land for development.

Here are some comments:

“At the very least, please keep part of the property for the fair. This is such a lovely hometown fair where the local youth have amazing opportunities to share their animals and crafts with the public. Ideally, extend the lease with the Fair.”

“Community fairs are a great opportunity for folks to come together in a fun and educational environment.”

“Create a park, sport facilities, minor league baseball park that could also be used for entertainment.”

“Don’t close the fair. It is part of Petaluma’s heritage. Also, it is a reasonably-priced event for ordinary people and families unlike all of the tourist-attracting, high-priced wine, food and entertainment events that now occur in Petaluma and Sonoma County.”

“Extending the lease is critical as it allows us to provide great opportunity to 4-H and FFA members. The experiences gained at our events there have proven to be beneficial for our kids.”

“Get rid of the race track, it seems to be a poor use of prime real estate.”

“Housing and better mixed use land utilization is critical to Petaluma’s future. I’d be open to a much smaller Fair footprint if that portion of space could be utilized effectively.”

“I still can’t believe they allow the noise pollution of those car races. It has little or no value to Petaluma, only people from out of town.”

“The fairgrounds should be moved to the area by the Petaluma outlets. When Rainier is finely build it will have great access for locals and for people out of town attending the fair.”