New seats for fairgrounds planned after fair

For those who have a favorite seat on the fairgrounds bleachers, they will be able to sit in the same one for this year’s fair.

Delays with a bleacher seat provider and the rising cost of aluminum have forced a remodel of the arena bleachers to be done after this year’s county fair.

“Aluminum prices are through the roof,” Union County Fair Board President Ben Adamson told the Union County Board of Supervisors Monday.

Late last year, the supervisors approved $350,000 of the county’s American Rescue Plan funds to the fair to replace and expand the bleachers in the rodeo arena. Adamson said the $350,000 won’t go as far as he wanted.

But it’s not just money that caused the delay.

Earlier this year, Adamson said he held multiple discussions with a bleacher company and was continually told how the cost of aluminum is rising, but the company never committed to a price for the fair board to pay. One conversation was an increase of $24,000.

“We’d agree to meet and pay half,” Adamson said about the increase. But even that was not honored.

“It started going sideways. Why are you not locking in your prices? He couldn’t commit to anything,” Adamson said.

Adamson said he started searching for other bleacher providers and found one through the Creston school district from its voter-defeated proposal to spend $42 million on school building improvements.

“No way we can do the bleachers this year,” Adamson said. He explained how arrangements needed to have been made earlier this month to have work done in early August.

Adamson said the work as originally proposed is estimated closer to $400,000.

“Sounds like we are not the only people with cost issues,” he said, implying how other projects are also becoming over budgeted.

Adamson said one suggestion among the fair board is to remodel only the south side of the bleachers.

The arena has two sections of seating; one on the north side and another on the south side. The south side holds 960 people. The north side holds about 300 making a total of 1,260. The original idea for the south side was to nearly double the seating. As proposed, the south side would hold about 1,800. Concrete and lighting work will also add to the cost.

Supervisor Ron Riley told Adamson “to do as much as you can” with the $350,000.

In a related issue, the supervisors approved a resolution that relaxed many of the rules related to American Rescue Plan funds. The funds were approved by the federal government last year for cities and counties to use to make up for lost revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the release of funds, various federal officials suggested easing up on the restrictions and allowing funds to be spent on non-COVID related projects.

Union County received $2.3 million and has already dedicated about half of that amount. Union County Auditor Sandy Hysell said it is unknown when the remaining balance will be received.

In other supervisor news...

Supervisors approved a recommendation from Sheriff Mark Shepherd for Noah Fargo to be a sheriff deputy. The 22-year-old is from Creston and a 2018 Creston High School graduate. Fargo is also a member of the Iowa National Guard. He will attend the law enforcement academy.

Supervisors approved the resignation of Christy Grandfield as Union County Township clerk and appointed Janell Chenoweth as the next clerk.