With the announcement that the Lawrence County Commission is paying off the loan on the main barn at the county fairgrounds, the community will have a space open for public events for the next three years.

Using COVID-19 funding allotted to the county, the commissioners were able to take care of a longstanding need of the fair board, as well as provide a needed site for spaced gatherings, should COVID-19 cases spike again.

Had they not acted, the county would have had to return the funds. The payoff will benefit, not just in the short term with the pandemic, but will help sustain the fair and its activities in the long term.

It was a good use of the funding and the commission’s solution will well serve many.