EAGLE - A plan to replace the ball fields at the Eagle County Fairgrounds could be a winner for everyone involved.

A contract signed by the Eagle County Commissioners Tuesday gives LaFarge the right to mine gravel under the existing ball fields. In exchange, the company will pay a one-time fee of $3.9 million to move the fields to the site of the company's existing gravel mine, adjacent to the existing fields.

Work will start on the new fields this year, and they'll open for play in 2011. No game time will be lost in the move.

Steve Russell, the director of the Western Eagle County Metropolitan Recreation District, said the new fields give the district, and local players some exciting opportunities.

The biggest potential change is if the district decides to use artificial turf at the fields. Russell said using artificial turf would save money on maintenance, irrigation and chemical use at the fields. Using artificial turf would also extend the season at the fields, and would make it easier to play right after a rainstorm.

“And any money we save on turf will go back into programs,” Russell said.

A new, up-to-date complex could also make Eagle a more desirable place for tournaments, Russell said.

Besides building new ball fields, the county will also do some long-term planning this spring for the property. That might include a river crossing for better pedestrian and bicycle access to the fields.

When LaFarge is finished removing the estimated 2.9 million tons of gravel from beneath the existing fields, there will be a large, flat area available for future development at the fairgrounds.

“That will make that land more usable for whatever we want to do out there,” Commissioner Peter Runyon said.