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Missoula County moves forward with fairgrounds changes

Posted at 11:13 AM, Apr 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-25 13:13:11-04

MISSOULA – Missoula County commissioners are moving forward with a contract which will see the final grading of the old racetrack at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.

The racetrack hasn’t been used for almost a decade after county commissioners scrubbed horse racing after the 2009 Western Montana Fair. However, that didn’t stop horse racing proponents for continually arguing that racing was a legacy attraction at the fair, and important for boosting attendance. 

But the county finally approved the removal of the track as part of the Fairgrounds Master Plan a couple of years ago. 

Commissioners have now approved a contract for just over $800,000 which will cover the cost of the grading of the track, removing soil and other site preparation work. Some of that soil will be moved for re-use to the area which will eventually be the new rodeo grounds. 

The plans call for getting the site improvements done before this year’s Western Montana Fair which runs from August 8th until August 12th .