Following through with a board consensus last month to study any fairgrounds management proposal carefully, Port of South Whidbey commissioners Tuesday agreed to seek county and state grants to fund an in-depth study.

The exact parameters of the effort are not yet clear, but the idea is to determine whether management of the grounds is financially viable and consult with the community about potential changes.

“The idea is to do more ground-floor research,” said Commissioner Curt Gordon, adding that a key part of any study will be figuring out a way to maintain the history and culture of the fairgrounds while transitioning it into a self-supporting facility.

Gordon said he’s excited about the prospects, but has no idea what to expect.

“This time I don’t have a bunch of predetermined ideas. I usually do, but this time I don’t know what to expect,” Gordon said.

Port Interim Executive Director Angi Mozer confirmed she will submit applications for Island County Rural Economic Development funds and money from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board, or CERB. The amount sought hasn’t been determined, but CERB has a fund-request limit of $50,000, which would require a $12,500 match from the port. Mozer said she hasn’t figured out just how much the study will cost yet, but was certain that outside funding is required due to a tight timeline.

The fairgrounds is owned by Island County but currently managed by the Island County Fair Association, a private group. The association has complained about the high cost of maintaining old buildings and gave county leaders notice earlier this year that it would not renew its contract unless it received more money to do the job.

The ultimatum was the impetus for the port’s involvement, as county Commissioner Jill Johnson made a special trip to the South End earlier this year to propose a possible partnership.

Since that time, the association has agreed to extend its stewardship of the fairgrounds until April 1, 2015, as a way to buy the county more time to find a new property manager.

Mozer said that leaves the port just five months to figure out whether or not it wants to take on the responsibility.

“That’s why we’re applying for funding, because we don’t have the resources to pull something like this off in that short of a time,” she said.

Mozer hopes to submit grant applications by Oct. 1, and receive funding or notice of a grant award by November. An actual study would begin a short time later, and would include a series of public meetings to get community feedback.

Mozer added that she hopes the process will identify future funding sources for potential maintenance or capital projects. The main goal, however, is to determine if the fairgrounds is a financially realistic endeavor.

“As a port, we just need to do our due diligence to figure out if this is a viable option,” Mozer said.