County Commissioners vote to transfer arena deed to city of Graham

In a 3-2 vote Monday morning, the Young County commissioners voted to transfer the deed of the Young County Arena to the city of Graham and the Graham Economic Improvement Corporation. The vote comes six days after the entities met during a closed session at the Young County Courthouse.

City of Graham Mayor Neal Blanton and GEIC president Jack Graham formally requested the deed transfer in a memo to the Young County Commissioners Court Dec. 22, 2021. The memo outlined the reasons for the request and addressed potential concerns over the future of 4-H and FFA events at the arena. The city of Graham has managed the arena since 2004 following a 99-year lease signed by Stan Peavy III and Wayne Christian, Young County judge and city of Graham mayor when the lease was signed June 14, 2004.

Those concerns were echoed by Precinct 3 Commissioner Stacey Rogers during Monday’s meeting.

“I’ve reached out, too, and not one person has told me it’s the right thing to do by giving it to the city of Graham,” Rogers said. “The stock show folks said they’ve got an agreement, (the)current agreement that they can live with. They’re just scared of what’s going to happen if something will change. So they just want to see (it) continued (...) given those dates that are in the contract. Thankfully, let the county retain ownership under the commissioner’s court. (They) said you probably get a, better shake with the commissioner court, than if the owner is the city of Graham.”

Under a June 2000 agreement, the city allowed the Young County Junior Livestock Association to use the premises free of charge for specified events in recognition of the $100,000 spent by the YCJLA in connection with the conception, construction and operation of the arena. The YCJLA waived its rights under the June 2000 agreement in consideration of provisions to be included in the lease agreement.

For the rest of the story, see the Jan. 26 edition of The Graham Leader.