Union County fairgrounds plumbing construction begins this February
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, January 14th, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – The Union County fairgrounds recently released some additional information on the planned construction timeline for the fairground’s wastewater project. Construction is planned to begin this February, and last through July 2026, with work progressing in stages. While work is underway, access and rental availability for some fairgrounds buildings/facilities may be impacted, with the exception of the Mt. Fanny Building and the Exhibit Hall.
The fairgrounds further noted that the RV spaces will be managed day-to-day, with the hope being to allow dry camping during the project. Horse stalling is not guaranteed while work is underway.
Union County Fairgrounds manager Kay Gover-Shaw elaborated on some details recently mentioned by Commissioner Matt Scarfo. As of this time, the plan for construction is to run new infrastructure along the North 2nd Street bridge over I-84 and the Grande Ronde River to connect with the City of La Grande. The final portion of work on the bridge will likely wait until May, or whenever ODOT grants approval, to avoid disruption along I-84 during the winter months.
Though some disruption along the North Second Street bridge may be possible when work hits later stages, overall local traffic disruption during the project is expected to be minimal. What disruption is expected for the fairgrounds is necessary to allow these major improvements to facilities.
When asked how it felt to see the project moving along after decades of work by county and state legislatures and advocates, Gover-Shaw commented, “this is amazing,” and that the new plumbing system will allow an already amazing fairgrounds facility to be utilized much more.
For those unfamiliar with the project, for years leading up to the 2025 legislative session, Union County had been seeking state support to fund the construction of a new, modern, water and septic system that would connect the fairgrounds to the City of La Grande’s system. During the 2025 legislative session, House Bill 5006 and Senate Bill 5531 provided $2,539,405 in lottery bond funding toward the project, which will be fully allocated in 2027. Ground was officially broken on the project on November 14, 2025, with construction set to begin soon.
