By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald

With all necessary agreements finalized and paperwork left in the hands of attorneys, the city of Enumclaw can now take a serious look at what it wants to do with the fairgrounds.

Apparently, the plan is to keep the grounds humming with activity.

Mayor John Wise said an immediate plan is to move the city's Parks and Recreation Department into the fairgrounds' administrative building. And Parks and Rec Director Larry Fetter said his goal is to keep the grounds plenty busy.

&#8220We want to encourage use, not discourage use,” Fetter said, noting that many programs have been pulled from the fairgrounds due to increased fees implemented by the county.

The city takes ownership of the fairgrounds, plus four other parcels of land, Jan. 1.

&#8220I've been investing a lot of time with county staff the past four to six weeks, learning how they do things,” Fetter said. He plan to make the transition as smooth as possible for fairgrounds users.

Those who occasionally used the grounds for events &#8220are very curious to know what the future holds for them,” Fetter said. While details are still being worked out, the goal is to get community groups back into the fairgrounds, he said.

&#8220We've just begun to analyze the rate structure out there,” Fetter said, noting that any agreement made with King County will be honored.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com.