So long, shade: 19 trees cut down for $2M parking lot at Tri-Cities fairgrounds
A row of pine trees dating to the ‘70s has been cut down at the Benton County Fairgrounds, sacrificed along with grass and shrubs to accommodate about 370 new parking spots at the main entrance.
Nineteen trees, 27 shrubs and three quarters of an acre of grass are being removed this week as part of a $2 million overhaul of the parking area on the north side of the fairgrounds in east Kennewick.
The parking lot will have new landscaping, though it will take time for saplings to grow enough to match the shade offered by the ones taken down.
Growth rings indicate some of the downed trees were 47 years old, mature enough to shade guests in late August. That’s when the Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo takes over the property and temperatures can top 100 degrees.
The trees provided much-needed relief from the sun, but fair organizers are pragmatists.
Lori Lancaster, the fair’s executive director, said the organization is sad to lose the trees but excited by new investment in the fairgrounds, where it has been a tenant for 77 years.
She’s seeking assurances the changes won’t affect power, internet and other utilities vendors need to operate during the fair.
“We’re nimble and ready to adapt. We just need to know what we’re adapting to,” she said.
The project removed pine trees and some diseased trees that wouldn’t have survived into spring, said Tom French, fairgrounds manager.
The annual fair and rodeo is the largest user of the fairgrounds, but French said it is used all year.
The parking lot project is necessary to accommodate the 100 or more other events held there. It is bringing parking closer to the various buildings on the grounds, including parking for people with disabilities.
Trade shows, corporate dinners, monster truck shows, tractor pulls and circuses all use the fairgrounds. The county has prioritized upgrades that attract business as it works to make the fairgrounds more financially sustainable.
County commissioners signed off on a contract with Big D’s Construction of Tri-Cities to carry out the parking lot project at its Jan. 7 meeting. Work began immediately and is expected to wrap in August. The 2025 fair is Aug. 19-23.
The work covers a five-acre area between the existing gravel lot and the administration office and first buildings. The demolition will also include ticketing booths, an open air shelter and a bus shelter.
The parking lot project will install nearly 29,000-square-feet of irrigated landscaping with ornamental grasses, shrubs and shade trees.
“The trees are coming back,” French said.
Big D’s contract specifies new trees must be at least two inches in diameter and that other plants be a minimum of one gallon. and healthy enough to survive.
Top Tree Service removed the trees this week. An employee said the pines were of medium maturity and would either be mulched or sent to a processor that transforms trunk-sized chunks into fuel pellets. They weren’t suitable for milling because they had numerous branches.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 5:26 PM.