After nearly 6 months, Calistoga to close $2 million purchase of dilapidated fairgrounds

Calistoga is nearing the acquisition of the Napa County Fairgrounds, six months after the city and county approved a $2 million sale agreement for the 70.6-acre property.

Mayor Donald Williams said Friday the city expects to finalize the sale Monday.

The city has scheduled a ceremony to commemorate the sale at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Calistoga Fairgrounds Tubbs Building at 1435 N. Oak St. It will celebrate the purchase and local government officials will participate in a key exchange to symbolize the official handover.

“We are proud to take ownership of the Calistoga Fairgrounds,” Williams said in a statement. “This project represents our dedication to preserving Calistoga’s history while providing amenities for our residents and visitors.”

But once the property is officially in city hands, the larger question is how to restore it to its glory days.

Calistoga community members had long called for a restoration of the property, which along with its fair-related events also hosted wedding receptions, quinceañeras, art shows, concerts, horse shows, car races and more.

Nearly all operations at the site were shut down in 2018, and the county shuttered what remained as the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. The pandemic also postponed an initial phase of negotiations between the city and county on the fairgrounds.

It may take several years before it can be used again, though, as a city staff report earlier this year notes faulty infrastructure on the property, including “collapsed and nonfunctioning” parts of the sewer system and a leaking water system.

Some Calistoga residents — such as former Council member Jim Barnes — said at the time of the agreement in February that the council should consider the liabilities that come with the property.

“There is a lot of work to be done, a tremendous amount of money to be spent and a tremendous amount of time,” he said at a Feb. 6 city meeting.

Williams said the fairgrounds derives rent from parking and communications towers, and the city is confident it will ultimately generate cash flow from the property’s RV park, building rentals and racetrack.

“With continued input from Calistogans, it can be revitalized incrementally, as funds allow,” Williams said. “We are a small town, and this is a large undertaking, so it will take time.”

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com .