By Kimberly Pistone
For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY – The Shelby County Fair Board discussed the eclipse, buildings and improvements on the fairgrounds, and other topics, at a meeting on Feb. 21.
The Eclipse committee shared their update. There are currently nine food vendors scheduled. The committee is also working on getting portajohns and dumpsters for the event. They will be opening to same-day parking for $40 on April 8 for Eclipse viewers.
Water line replacement was discussed. A total of 15,000 feet of water lines and hydrants need to be replaced. J&J Brautigam was awarded to the project. The Board will purchase the material and then pay J&J Brautigam for their labor at the conclusion of the project. The Board will use State Capital Grant monies to pay for the material, not to exceed $48,500.
The Fine Arts Building was discussed. The building needs some repairs to the roof which is leaking, and also needs to have some insulation and doors replaced. This project will move forward if there are funds available from the State Capital Grant monies.
Chris Roediger, maintenance director, said the heater used to heat the restrooms in the Cloplay building blew up and is unrepairable. Area Electric has quoted replacement for $3080.
Additional topics discussed include: The lighting in the Booth Building needs to be updated. Thirty LED bulbs and valances will be purchased for $346. Electronic ticketing will be implemented for gate admission. Members have turned in 124 tickets for the fundraiser raffle. Department heads were reminded to hand in Fair Book changes no later than the March meeting. The board is opening a new class to the Demo Derby for 12-16 year olds. The pony barn was going to be demolished, but after discussion, the board decided to keep it and repurpose it for storage for the fair board.
The next fair board meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. in the secretary’s office.
