The deadline for interested parties to submit bids to the state was Thursday.
The California Department of General Services, which is in charge of selling the fairgrounds, is not releasing the names of the bidders until Oct. 14, when the name of a winning bidder will be chosen, said DGS spokesman Eric Lamoureux.
More than one party submitted a bid to the state, Lamoureux said.
He would not say exactly how many bids were received.
Facilities Management spokesman Guy Lemmon sent a letter to the City Council on Friday informing Costa Mesa of the decision to submit a bid.
This is also the second time Facilities Management has submitted a bid for the fairgrounds.
The first, for $55 million, was in January. At that time, all bids were rejected as being too low, and negotiations began between Facilities Management and Costa Mesa.
"We have invested almost a year, considerable resources and determined energy to advance the city/FMW purchase of the property," the letter states. "It remains our expectation that our proposed joint purchase/lease will be completed in the coming days. If it is not, we hope to secure ownership under the terms of the RFP we have just submitted a response to."
Lemmon went on to explain that Facilities Management remains committed to preserving the annual summertime fair.
Councilwoman Katrina Foley, who voted against the lease agreement, has warned her fellow council members and city officials about looking into Costa Mesa's options in the event that Facilities Management places a bid.
"It's not surprising," she said. "And I still think we need to better understand all of our options and protection for the residents who we've been working hard for in an effort to preserve the fairgrounds in perpetuity."
Lemmon told the Daily Pilot on Aug. 24 that Facilities Management had no intentions of submitting a bid to the state and that the main issue at hand is working on the lease agreement to help the city buy the fairgrounds.
