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Nebraska State Fair Board awards $16.99 million ARPA Phase 2 contract, raises campground fee to $50
Summary
At its Nov. 15 meeting in Grand Island, the Nebraska State Fair Board approved its consent agenda and October financials, awarded a $16,985,305.46 ARPA Phase 2 construction contract to Elsbury Construction, and raised campground fees to $50 per night; the board also advanced 2025 budget planning and a January 2025 real estate closing.
The Nebraska State Fair Board on Nov. 15 approved several financial and capital decisions, including awarding the ARPA Phase 2 construction contract and raising campground fees.
Tom Schellpeper, the board secretary, moved to award the ARPA Phase 2 bid to Elsbury Construction for $16,985,305.46; the motion was seconded by Lanna Hubbard and carried on a roll‑call vote with nine members present. The board received an engineer recommendation from Brian Friedrichsen of Olsson prior to the motion.
Lanna Hubbard, the board treasurer, moved to increase campground nightly fees to $50, inclusive of taxes and fees, after Sales Director Keaton Irwin demonstrated new campground management software and staff noted higher attendance and concessions revenue; Kevin Jorgensen seconded the motion and it passed on a roll‑call vote.
The board also approved the October financial reports (motion by John McKeever, second by Alan Kahle) and the consent agenda, which included the Oct. 18 meeting minutes. All votes reported at the meeting passed unanimously among the nine members present; four members were recorded as absent.
Executive Director Jaime Parr and staff outlined the timeline for ARPA projects, saying ARPA Phase 1 work on the north side of the HEC should be finished before spring and that some electrical and shade work may require additional campus support because it falls outside ARPA coverage. Parr also said a planned real estate acquisition is scheduled to close in January 2025 and that a final draft of the 2025 budget will be presented to the board in December.
The meeting closed with routine reports from departments, sponsorship updates, and operations staffing items before a motion to adjourn passed unanimously.
