Group pushing to revitalize old Saginaw Co. Fairgrounds

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - A group is pushing to revitalize and repurpose the Saginaw County fairgrounds to its former glory with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Saginaw resident John Pugh talked about the former Saginaw County Fairgrounds located just a stone’s throw away from his front door.

“It’s a disgrace,” Pugh said. “We have a big, abandoned, neglected area in the city.”

Pugh is the Director of the Fairground Neighborhood Association. He wants city leaders to use some of the $52 million in ARPA funds for developing and improving the 54-acre site.

“We have an organized group of parents, friends, young and old over here that’s working to make something happen,” Pugh said.

The Fairground Neighborhood Association’s plan calls for converting the old fairground into a park that provides access to educational, cultural, social, and recreation growth to its residents.

Saginaw Mayor Brenda Moore said she has been in contact with Pugh.

“We’ve met with them, and we’ve discussed possibly on our dream list they’re included. We want to go in and we want to make it pretty. We want to take everything down so that they can do like a start over,” Moore said.

Moore said city leaders are still in the process of deciding where the ARPA money will go. But she tells us the time for talk is almost over.

“We’re going to have some movement before the end of the year,” Moore said.

Perhaps as early as late summer-early fall Moore said.

As for Pugh, he just hopes revitalization of the old fairgrounds is on the list.

“It would bring dignity to our people in this community in the Saginaw east side and north side area. It would bring dignity, that’s the one thing we need. We need people not to take our dignity away,” Pugh said.

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