JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado — The Jefferson County Fairgrounds has a friend in Robin Driggers and her family.
Her kids, Zoe and Danny, have participated in 4-H at the fairgrounds for the past few years.
“My kids are involved in equestrian activities. We have chickens. We have goats," Driggers said. “This is our way to learn about agriculture."
But the next chapter in JeffCo Fairgrounds' history will be decided by county leaders. It costs the county $1.3 million to keep the fairgrounds open each year.
In late January, County Manager Don Davis came before county commissioners to discuss cuts to the 2021 budget and floated the idea of closing the fairgrounds in order to save the county money.
“We hate to see the loss of the resource for the community," Driggers said.
There have been two public meetings since talks of closing the fairgrounds began. Driggers is determined not to see the fairgrounds close.
She helped form a new nonprofit called Friends of the JeffCo Fairgrounds.
“Friends of the JeffCo Fairgrounds hopes to become the public charity that provides the partnership with Jefferson County, Colorado to continue running the fairgrounds," Driggers said.
The fairgrounds has welcomed families like the Driggers since the 1950s.
“Western heritage, agriculture, equestrian activities and rodeo have been important to Jefferson County historically," Driggers said.
Driggers sits on a board for the nonprofit with six other members. She said the group plans to share an initial proposal with county commissioners on Tuesday morning.
“We are coming to offer another solution to say instead of closing [the Fairgrounds] or continuing to run at a loss to the county, our nonprofit would like to assist in managing," she said.
Driggers said the group is looking at different funding options including grants, sponsorship and fundraisers.
“We think it’s realistic. For sure. This is an important part of the community. We have a lot of community support," she said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS