By the fall of 2000, Coweta County should have a state-of-the-art fairground facility that will also feature a cultural activities and multi-purpose building.

During Tuesday afternoon's Coweta County Commission meeting, architects for the new facility on Pine Road outlined what the new fairgrounds facility will look like. The new facility sits on 60 acres and features parking for up to 1,600 cars.

The centerpiece of the new facility will be a 14,000-square-foot multi-purpose building that the commission envisions will be widely used by members of the community.

The building will be big enough to accommodate small meetings, and county officials are hoping to lure small shows to the structure's three meeting rooms. In front of the multi-purpose building will be a small amphitheater that architect Jeff Walker said could be used as a small entry stage for the fairgrounds. Walker envisions a small band or chorus greeting visitors as they walk through the ticket gates and head toward the fair's midway. The midway will sit on nine acres and be accessible through the main ticket gates in the center of the area or through a secondary set of gates.

Near the second set of gates, Walker envisions a drop-off location where buses or other shuttle services could bring fair-goers who park off-site.

The entire 60-acre site is filled with picnic areas and will have a nature trail so residents will be encouraged to use it year-round, instead of just visiting the site for the fair.