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PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Fairgrounds’ executive director, Karly Mishko, is on a mission to push the fairgrounds closer to its full potential.

“What feels most significant to me about coming here is the community aspect of it,” said Mishko, who was hired in October. “We have an incredible piece of 32 acres right inside of a beautiful town. It’s just under-utilized, and it has been for a long time. We could use all this space and these buildings and this great setting to have more of a hub for the community.”

Mishko, currently commuting from Gig Harbor, plans to relocate to Port Townsend in February. She said she lived in Port Townsend for a number of years in the 2010s.

With previous experience in the nonprofit world, Mishko spent much of her career in construction management.

She expects her understanding of plans, permitting and project management will aid efforts to maintain the fairgrounds’ facilities.

“These buildings have had a lot of deferred maintenance over the years,” she said. “They haven’t been used. They’ve been kind of run down. Outside of that, there’s infrastructure issues with power and water. Having some familiarity with that has been helpful as far as tackling priorities or looking at what we need to do.”

The property has about 15 buildings, said Operations Coordinator Alissa Gubelman, Mishko’s first hire. A first priority for the four-person fairgrounds team has been getting into the buildings and assessing their use and their capacities.

“We have buildings here that were just filled with things like storage and things for the fair,” Mishko said. “For the last month and a half, we’ve really gone full-bore at saying, ‘Let’s get these buildings cleaned out, let’s take another look at what they need. Do they have power issues? Are they up and running? Are they usable?’”

Many of the buildings are from the 1980s, Mishko said. In a few months, she hopes a casual visitor of the property will notice more comings and goings, whether the traffic is from community events or private users.

She also hopes the buildings will be newly painted. Mishko said the nonprofit already has the paint. It may host some painting parties, inviting community members to volunteer, Gubelman said. Food and drink likely would be provided.

Mishko said the organization hopes to build a strong volunteer base.

Rounding out the fairgrounds team are Lillian Gulden, Groundskeeper, and Danny McEnerney, Facilities and Maintenance Manager.

The fair itself is a huge undertaking, Mishko said. She hopes to maintain its history while pushing it to a more engaging and inclusive place.

For those interested in making use of the the fairgrounds for an event or a project, email Mishko at director@jeffcofairgrounds.org or Gubelman at office@jeffcofairgrounds.org.

Mishko said she’s excited to be back on the Olympic Peninsula, integrating into the community. Coming with her are her daughters Fiona, 11, and Ava, 6. The three enjoy camping and exploring beaches in search of sea glass, often accompanied by their dog Emerson.