By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
With under 100 days until the start of the Wood County Fair, a tight cash flow has some fair board members cautioning against spending decisions.
At the April 23 fair board meeting, approximately $73,000 in bills for approval and $98,000 in checking concerned Director Bob Strow.
One of the larger bills for approval was for the recent asphalt work done by Morlock Asphalt. The Wood County Commissioners usually reimburse the fair board for that work, Wood County Fair Manager Laura Westgate said.
“Depending on how quickly I get the invoice to the commissioners, they usually reimburse fairly quickly,” she said. “But, there’s a possibility that we may need to pull some from the savings.”
With tight budgets right now, plans to improve the ventilation system in the Pratt Pavilion turned into an extensive and procedurally complex debate.
Strow, who was asked to research ventilation systems to replace the current inadequate setup in the pavilion, was told that the best ventilation option for that space would be three Big Ass brand ceiling fans and four 36” fans for the corners for maximum efficiency. Two used Big Ass fans were previously purchased for $5,000
Strow reported that CLAP (County Livestock Action Project) agreed to support the project and spend approximately $6,500 to purchase the four side fans, as long as the fair board purchased the larger fan at a cost of approximately $7,400.
The board approved a motion to spend $7,400 for a big ceiling fan. Installation would be an additional cost. However, after the motion passed, new Director Michael Miller asked that the Fair Foundation be approached to contribute to the project since the pavilion is managed by the foundation.
The discussion involved weighing an important capital improvement against immediate budget constraints.
“It (improved ventilation) will help your renters,” said AnnMarie Nietz, administrative assistant in the fair office. “Just remember, we had a big talk about how we needed to crunch pennies, and here we are spending over seven grand on a fan. “
“We’ve already approved to buy this one, but in my opinion, if we would have just done the two first and waited until our fair to see how our fair did, we could put the third one up,” Secretary Conni Grames said. “And if we don’t have the money, we’ll know.”
“It’s not like the motion is set in stone,” Strow said. “I’m just bringing it to the board because I was asked to provide a ventilation study.”
At that point, the process got convoluted. The board needed to vote on reconsidering the motion to buy the fan, followed by a motion to amend the original motion and finally a vote on the amended motion to ask the foundation to pay for the fan and installation for a cost of $9,400. The motion passed, but they decided to hold off on the project for now. They will wait to hear the foundation’s decision, and depending on the decision, they will see if it is feasible to purchase and install all three Big Ass fans or wait to see how the two fans work before adding the third large fan.
Market lamb, goat ID Day update
Strow made a motion to reimburse the one family that couldn’t attend the designated day for Market Sheep and Goat I.D. and Weigh In Day. A conflict made it impossible for them to bring their animals on the mandatory day, but they did participate in the make-up day and paid the new fee that was recently implemented.
At the March board meeting, the board set a new policy to charge $100 to any junior fair exhibitor and their family who required the ID check on a different day. The policy was set to discourage people from attending the make-up date because of the chance for shorter lines.
“We talk about how we do this fair for the kids… and here’s a case where you’re jeopardizing a kid and making them pay $100 to show their animal at the fair,” Strow said in support of reimbursing the family. “I just think it’s a bad look for us as a board.”
“It was bad because of the bad publicity we got from it,” Grames said about the social media comments.
She said the official day for IDs and weigh-ins went smoothly.
No one who came through the line that day said anything negative to the directors about the process or about the $100 fee.
Miller suggested that reimbursing the family would set a bad precedent. “If you go back on it (the new policy), don’t ever make another one again… If you go back on this, you can never fine anyone, and it shows you don’t have a backbone.”
The board voted against the motion (4 in favor and 11 opposed) to reimburse the family.
In other business, the board approved two new policies to satisfy auditor requirements. The policies included recording minutes and negotiating fees. They also amended a contract with the Northwestern Ohio Tractor Puller’s Association to correct a date.
Also, a proposal was discussed to improve the entrance area by adding two new flagpoles and memorials for veterans and fair contributors. John Nissen will check into costs for flag poles and plaques before making any final decision for this year.
The board’s treasurer position, which was vacant after Kalen Bloom resigned from the board in March, will remain vacant until after the next election cycle. The board decided to manage the treasurer’s role internally with office staff, volunteers and the help of the agricultural society’s part-time accountant.
