MARSHALL — It started out as a discussion about updating bathrooms at the Lyon County fairgrounds. But talking with Lyon County residents and community groups revealed a lot of other needs at the fairgrounds, county Environmental Administrator Roger Schroeder said.

At Tuesday’s County Board meeting, county commissioners talked about ideas ranging from updating the electrical infrastructure at the fairgrounds, to whether the current fairgrounds had enough space.

The board’s discussion didn’t lead to any specific proposals or decisions on updating fairground facilities. However, Commissioners Gary Crowley and Charlie Sanow volunteered to be part of a group that would discuss priorities for the fairgrounds.

“There’s a lot of targets to pick from,” Sanow said. The county needed to narrow down the options, he said.

Earlier this fall, commissioners had directed Schroeder to work with the Lyon County fair board about possible updates to bathrooms at the fairgrounds. Schroeder said last week he met with fair board members, and also representatives from Lyon County 4-H, and other county residents with ideas for the fairgrounds.

“What I was most impressed with were the people the (Lyon County) Ag Society pulled together,” Schroeder said. There was “a high level of thoughtfulness” in their suggestions, he said.

However, Schroeder said he wanted to bring the discussion back to the commissioners, and potentially to the public.

Commissioners talked about a few potential needs, including whether any of the buildings at the fairgrounds could be updated.

“There needs to be a serious look at a couple of those barns,” said Commissioner Rick Anderson.

Another question Anderson said needed more discussion was, “Are we running out of space at that fairground?”

Commissioners asked Sam Jens, the U of M Extension educator for 4-H youth development in Lyon County, what the 4-H participation was like at this year’s county fair, and if more space was needed in the animal barns.

Jens said the number of different types of animal projects at the fair changes from year to year. This year, the numbers of swine, rabbits, and llama project entries had gone up. The number of dog event entries was also up this year, but those events are not held during the county fair, he said.

Commissioners also discussed how best to meet power hookup needs during the Lyon County Fair. Schroeder said they had obtained a quote to update outlets near three existing light poles near the arena. The updates would make sure a carnival would have the electricity it needed during the fair, he said.

Sanow suggested coming back with more information on the scope and price of the work, but commissioners also said it was important to have a carnival at the county fair.

“There’s not many of them left out there,” Crowley said, and he said carnivals have helped add to the fair’s success.

Crowley and Sanow said they would work with Schroeder to narrow down ideas for the fairgrounds. Sanow said the board was also thankful for the work that the fair board put in.

“This fair, in the last five years, it’s been tremendous,” Sanow said.