Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fairgrounds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners split over fairgrounds barn plan as county faces competing capital needs
Summary
A dispute emerged over whether to fund $940,000 in phased barn replacements or the fair board's $1.8 million full plan; commissioners favored staging work and seeking sponsorships given limited reserves and competing county priorities.
Bannock County commissioners debated funding options for deteriorating fairgrounds barns, weighing a staged replacement approach against the fair board's request for a larger, $1.8 million plan.
The controller presented two cost references: a department request of roughly $400,000 for immediate fair maintenance work and a county estimate from maintenance lead Dan Kendall of about $940,000 for replacing multiple barns. Members said the fair board's full plan would raise the total to around $1.8 million and noted the fair board did not have sufficient reserves to cover that scale of project.
Commissioners questioned whether a new multipurpose barn that might be used only a few weeks per year would be the best use of scarce county capital. One member said the barns are primarily needed for animal storage and suggested building a first barn now and adding more later, or pursuing sponsorships to cover part of the cost. Another commissioner said focusing on indoor arena repairs and parking near the wellness complex could yield more frequent public benefit.
The board discussed financing options including partial use of PILT or general fund monies, using fair board reserves where available, and staging the work to spread costs. Clauser and maintenance staff were asked to provide detailed estimates for building single vs. multiple barn scenarios, and to check whether pole-barn construction could reduce timeline and cost enough to justify a single-year replacement.
No formal decision was made. Commissioners directed staff to return with clearer cost breakdowns, potential sponsorship avenues and staged-build proposals before including firm funding in the clerk's July 23 recommendation.
