State Fairgrounds preservationists deem Barry's Fair Board ordinance unacceptable

From an e-mail blast of the Fairgrounds Heritage Preservation Group:

The mayor has blinked, he has not capitulated. He obviously has immediate plans to destroy the racetrack, and longer-term plans to destroy and develop the Fairgrounds property.

Further, the proposed ordinance is unlawful-- it assigns new duties to the Fair Board that are at odds with their duties assigned in the Metro Charter (one of the same objections Metro had to Council Member Dominy's proposed ordinance to protect the Fairgrounds). Metro Council cannot lawfully modify the charter simply by passing an ordinance.

Among other things, this proposed ordinance requires the Fair Board to turn part of the property over to the Parks Department, while the Charter gives "complete charge and control" of the Fairgrounds property to the Fair Board, and gives them no authority to subdivide the property or divest themselves of it.

Here's a novel thought-- when it comes to the Fairgrounds why don't we just follow the Metro Charter and Acts 515/490 of the legislature (which are included in the Charter) ? Probably because the Charter does not provide for Metro control of the Fairgrounds or it's funds, except by the Fair Board of Commissioners!