Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
After rodeo power outage, fair board and commissioners plan generator hookup for fairgrounds
Summary
A near-miss power outage at the recent rodeo prompted Bonner County fair officials to plan a transfer switch and generator hookup; the fair board approved up to $20,000 to install a transfer switch so events can continue safely in outages.
Fair Board chair Ben Wood told commissioners a power outage during the rodeo created a near miss: power restored before the performance, but the episode exposed the fairgrounds' lack of generator hookup and raised health-and-safety concerns for large evening events.
"We had about 2,600 tickets sold on Saturday night...power goes out...we were freaking out," Ben Wood said, describing volunteers and emergency management efforts that helped restore power and keep the event on schedule. Wood said the fair board approved a budget of $20,000 to install transfer switches and wiring to enable a generator hookup that would power critical services at the fairgrounds. He estimated the project could cost between $10,000 and $18,000 and asked commissioners for a potential special meeting to approve spending over $5,000 if needed.
Commissioners and fair staff also discussed bag and water policies, crowd control, security staffing and the need to coordinate generator procurement and electrician quotes with auditing before spending. The board encouraged staff to work with auditing and emergency management to expedite the installation ahead of fair week.
