It might soon become a little easier for visitors to find their way around the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

The Douglas County Commission Wednesday will consider a $20,000 request to improve entrance and building signs at the complex near 19th and Harper streets.

“It can be confusing for people not familiar with the facilities,” said Tara Pearson, fair board vice president and a member of the fairgrounds capital-improvement committee.

Commissioners will meet at 6:35 p.m. at the Lecompton City Hall, where they will also have a joint session with the Lecompton City Council.

The request for new signs before this year’s fair that starts July 31 is the latest in a long-term plan to improve the fairgrounds. The committee has met since 2007 to discuss improvements to the area in phases.

The sign proposal from Luminous Neon Inc. includes two entrance monuments, two directional signs that point out locations and signs to identify the several buildings on the property.

“It’s amazing. I don’t think probably any other county utilizes their fairgrounds like Douglas County does, which is exciting and that shows how much the county has supported it as well,” Pearson said.

Other than the Douglas County Fair, the buildings are used frequently on weekends and throughout the year for hundreds of events and shows.

The fairgrounds committee has developed a long-term plan for big-ticket fairgrounds improvements, including revamping the outdoor event arena, adding an open pavilion next to the community building and a new outdoor performance arena. Preliminary estimates show the open pavilion could cost $500,000, and Pearson said most of the planning work was done before the economic recession.

Money for the signs would come from the county’s capital improvement project fund, which tentatively includes $200,000 for the fairgrounds, according to a memo from Assistant County Administrator Pam Madl.