by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
City and Jacksonville Agricultural Fair officials are currently negotiating to renew the Fair’s lease for another five years (actually, the renewal is the second of three, five-year options), extending the original 25-year contract through 2013.
Fair president/CEO Gary Roegner said he’s heard the talk of moving the Fair, but says it won’t happen and the Fair belongs downtown as much as any other event.
“No question about it,” he said. “It’s a sports and entertainment area and we fall within the purvey of entertainment. And, the mayor is in favor of it.”
Roegner’s right. Despite who may want the Fair relocated — the Jacksonville Jaguars usually top the list —Mayor John Delaney isn’t even considering such a proposal.
“The mayor has spoken to several members of the Fair’s board of directors,” said Chief of Staff Audrey Moran. “After the Fair, we sat down with our attorneys to discuss the issue of extending the lease. The mayor is a strong advocate for the Fair remaining in downtown Jacksonville.”
Moran, too, believes the Fair should remain downtown, despite the fact that within a year the area will have a new $34 million baseball park and $130 million arena.
“I think there’s a strong case to be made for the Jacksonville Fair to remain downtown,” said Moran. “It brings life and activity to the area and lots of other positive things. We understand there are folks who want to move the Fair out of downtown, but I’m not sure who specifically advocates that. I know that’s out there.”
Although they don’t overtly admit it, Jaguars officials say not having to deal with the Fair every year would make life easier. Most years, the Fair means a two-game road trip for the team — not uncommon in the National Football League and not an issue for the team. However, in years past when the Florida-Georgia game, the Fair and the Jaguars have all clashed, the team has gone on three-game road trips.
Jaguars vice president and chief financial officer Bill Prescott said the team’s schedule won’t be the biggest issue once the new arena and ball park are done.
“Overall, there’s no doubt it presents a scheduling conflict, but we have worked around that,” said Prescott. “The biggest thing is, and it’s not just a Jaguars issue, is the sports complex overall. When those facilities are all built and being used, there will be a lack of parking. If we have 65-70,000 for a football game and there’s a function in the arena at the same time, it will present an impossible parking situation.”
Prescott disagrees with Roegner’s assessment that the Fair fits with the sports complex theme and contends the land used by the Fair — they own 12.5 of the 25 acres they use each year — might be too valuable. Prescott also said the issue isn’t something the Jaguars will press with the City.
“This is much more of a City issue,” said Prescott. “They need to come to grips and decide if the Fair does belong in the sports complex. Our opinion is that it’s not best suited to be within the sports complex. The City should analyze it and explore other options.”
Roegner says part of the problem is perception and too many people believe that the only annual event his organization handles is the Fair.
“The Fair is quite a large activity, but it’s not our only event,” said Roegner. “We have the Cowford Ball, Whale of a Sale, car shows and other things. We have something almost every weekend of the year.”
There is one major decision Fair organizers will have to make before next year’s event and that’s what to do with the events usually held in the coliseum. By the time the Fair rolls into to town next year, the old coliseum will have been demolished and the new arena won’t quite be done. However, Roegner’s not sure the Fair will have the same agreement with the City regarding the new arena they did with the old coliseum.
“We probably won’t lease the new arena, but we’re not at that point in negotiations yet,” said Roegner. “I’m not sure how it will work out. We might use the new ball park for concerts, but those details haven’t been worked out.”