It turns out that fairgrounds’ food booths might not actually be located on school district property.

For months, the Port of South Whidbey has been trying to solve the issue of what to do about the concession stands’ encroachment onto another public entity’s property. Up until recently, it was believed that they were partially located on land belonging to the South Whidbey School District.

However, last week, Port Commissioner Curt Gordon revealed that part of the food booths actually might be located on the city of Langley’s property, though further research is required to determine if this is true.

Working together, city and port officials have studied survey maps and identified a 10-foot strip of land along the northern edge of the fairgrounds that was previously overlooked. Gordon said that in 1955, the president of the fair association deeded a portion of the fair property to the city for unknown reasons. It will need to be verified that the land wasn’t then deeded to the school district, which owns the neighboring property.

“This is getting a little more complicated, but to me, I think it just makes it all that more important that these three groups — the school district, port and the city — sit down and decide what we want there and team up and create that,” Gordon said, referencing the plan for affordable workforce housing that the port has been working on for the past few years.