County is buying more property by the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds. What’s the plan for it?

The board that manages St. Clair County-owned buildings has decided to spend over $90,000 to further expand the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center property in Belleville.

The Public Building Commission voted Tuesday to purchase a home at 1132 S. Charles St. in Belleville for $80,000 and a vacant lot at 1138 S. Charles St. in Belleville for $10,000, plus closing costs in each transaction, from individuals.

The individuals have owned the South Charles Street properties for at least the past 25 years, according to county property records.

County buildings director Jim Brede said these properties will help expand parking for events like races at the Belle-Clair Speedway racetrack, which the county is planning to rebuild with federal COVID-related relief funds from the American Rescue Plan.

The property purchases will come out of the Public Building Commission’s budget, according to Brede.

The board has purchased a total of four pieces of property near the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds in 2024.

In February, it voted to buy the former Auffenberg used car lot at 1120 S. Illinois St. and a home at 1132 S. Church St. in Belleville for a total of $830,000.

The South Church Street home will also be used to expand parking. The Auffenberg property will become an additional entrance and exit to the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds to help with traffic. The fairgrounds currently has one entrance and exit.

The county is in the process of designing renovations for the fairgrounds. It has allocated $14 million of its share of COVID-19 relief dollars toward design, engineering and construction costs, including rebuilding the racetrack and replacing the expo center’s roof and HVAC system.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Public Building Commission approved spending $816,201 toward the HVAC system.

Public Building Commission member Kevin Bouse noted the expo center will remain open during the upcoming renovations.