Community group to raise $75,000 to replace aging livestock pens at Saline County Expo Center; county agreeable to donation and agreement

A community-led fundraising effort aims to replace aging small-animal pens at the Saline County Expo Center, and county commissioners signaled support for accepting the donated panels if donors complete the fundraising.

Danielle Ost, organizing on behalf of the Sling County 4-H Development Fund and partner stakeholders, told commissioners the current pens are more than 60 years old, are difficult to operate and have caused animal safety issues during fairs and shows. "Animals have been hurt at the fair...sheep have gotten their horns stuck...swine can root under them and lift them up," Ost said, describing safety and handling problems. The project would replace aging pens with heavier, vertical panels and add additional pens to bring the facility to a 102-pin configuration.

Ost said the group'which includes Sling County 4-H Development Fund, the three Sling County FFA chapters, Central Kansas Extension, the Sling County Expo, Sling County Farm Bureau and the Tri River Fair Board'has already purchased six new pens for the show ring in 2024. The fundraising target for the full pen replacement is approximately $75,000; Ost said the group had raised just over $20,000 to date and expects to seek grants and community fundraising, including an "alcohol wreck" grant they planned to submit the following week. The group does not intend to request county tax funding: "Our funding is not taxpayer or we're not asking for anything from you guys. It'd be grant and fundraising is what we've done so far," she said.

Ost proposed donating the new pens to the county once purchased, with the county accepting responsibility for storage, maintenance and liability. She outlined donor conditions the group would like documented in an agreement: compliance with grant signage and recognition requirements; the ability for the donor group to market or fundraise at fairs; notification to donors if the county intends to sell the donated pens (60 days' notice requested); and that proceeds of a sale prior to 2050 be reinvested into the expo (and if sold before 02/1950 [sic], proceeds be reinvested into agreed projects). Ost said she had consulted with expo staff and that Dave (expo staff) was aware and supportive.

Commissioners praised the volunteer effort and emphasized the project's focus on youth: "This is for the kids," one commissioner said. Commissioners asked staff to work with the county attorney to draft a donation agreement that would document responsibilities and the donors' conditions. Ost said the group hoped to have funds in place by April 2026 in order to complete the project in time for the 2026 Tri Rivers Fair.

No formal county action was required at the Sept. 23 meeting; commissioners agreed staff should draft an agreement and that the county was willing to accept the donation subject to an acceptable written agreement. Ost said the group would continue fundraising and apply for grants.

If completed, the project would replace environmentally and operationally outdated pens and allow junior livestock shows for swine, sheep, and goats at the Expo Center, and improve safety and ease of use for 4-Hers, FFA members and expo staff.