MFA Oil Foundation awards grant for ADA restroom project at Buchanan County fairgrounds  

BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) -- MFA Oil Foundation will award a grant to help fund a restroom facility at the newly established Buchanan County Fairgrounds.

The ADA-compliant facility will be a permanent structure on the property.

The MFA Oil Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that are making a positive impact in communities where MFA Oil has a strong presence of members and employees.  

Eastern District Commissioner Scott Burnham said the opening of the Buchanan County Fairgrounds marks an exciting milestone after years of planning and hard work.  

“This is really about bringing the community together which is the reason why we have a fairgrounds. Buchanan county hasn’t had a fairgrounds for a number of years and so we are happy to get this thing launched,” Burnham said.  

Like any major construction project, Burnham said there were challenges along the way. But thanks to the dedication of community members, those obstacles were overcome.  

“We got a lot of volunteers hours and a lot of people just poured their sweat and heart into making this happen and we think it will be great for the community,” he added.  

Burnham said the fairgrounds will give local youth involved in agriculture a place to showcase their livestock, but he believes its impact will extend far beyond that.  

Buchanan County Fairgrounds Facilities Manager Cheri Morton said the organization learned about the grant opportunity while working with MFA Oil on local projects.  

“They kind of helped us through that process. We are new at grant writing but it is something that we would like to do more of and find other partners who want to get behind project,” Morton said.  

Thanks to the support of sponsors and private donors, the fairgrounds has already hosted 63 events and activities in the building since January. 

Morton said one of the accomplishments she is most proud of is the overwhelming community support, which has resulted in more than 2,400 volunteer hours being logged so far.  

“So, a lot of the turnover and getting this former East Buchanan Middle School ready has come from just massive amounts of volunteer hours and people in the community coming forward,” she said.  

Morton said MFA Oil's presence in many rural communities made the company a valuable partner for the project. 

She said MFA Oil also helped the fairgrounds secure a grant that funded improvements to the water infrastructure on the northwest corner of the campus.