The fairgrounds: The 97-acre fairgrounds includes a series of barns, several of which have been added or upgraded. While horse racing has moved to the Miami Valley Gaming racino west of Lebanon, horses are stabled in barns off the backstretch of the track.
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Recent improvements: Two new barns were added and wrought iron fencing placed along the front of the property on Broadway, just north of the city's historic business district. The grandstands were demolished in anticipation of construction of the events center.
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Private island: The Carlo family, which controlled one of the live racing seasons at the former Lebanon Raceway, continues to own 7 acres near the entrance to the fairgrounds. The family allows the land to be used for county events, such as the annual fair, but otherwise a local landscaping company parks its vehicles there.
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Joint management: The fairgrounds is owned by Warren County Board of Commissioners, but state law give the county’s agricultural society, better known as the fair board, final say over what goes on there. The two are working together on the redevelopment, including the event center project.
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Event center: The event center plan is currently under review by the Lebanon Planning Commission. The architecture firm McGill Smith Punshon is working on questions raised about its design by the city's staff. The fair board expects the event center to be in place early next summer, in time for use during the county fair in July 2018.
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