The grandstand at the Mower County fairgrounds has been deemed unsafe by a structural engineer, who said repairs could cost as much as $500,000. -- Herald file photo

Grandstand deemed unsafe for fair

Published 10:13am Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Email This Post Email This Post Comments

Events still on for this year with temporary bleachers; repairs could reach $500,000

Mower County has grand problems at the fairgrounds.

Commissioner Jerry Reinartz confirmed Monday that a structural engineer has deemed the grandstand unsafe and is suggesting extensive repairs — which could cost as much as $500,000 — before it is used.

The engineer found dry rot, a fungal decay that causes wood to crack and powder. There were also a number of issues with support beams and columns.

“We informed the fair board that it wasn’t able to be used this year,” Reinartz said following a meeting with fair officials Monday morning.

For this year’s fair, Reinartz said the county board and fair board are looking into temporary bleachers for events like the demo derby and motocross. They are also looking for affordable options for the future.

The county board is responsible for repairs at the fairgrounds, and Reinartz said the $500,000 price tag is cost-prohibitive for a structure that’s used primarily once a year.

“Even with major repair, you still have an old structure there,” he said.

Reinartz said one option is tearing down the structure.

The grandstand was built in 1934 and repaired in 1960, according to Reinartz. The county hired the structural engineer this spring after fair board members voiced concern.

Fair board President Neal Anderson and Vice President Peter Marx did not return calls for comment.

Email This Post Email This Post Comments

Sign in to Comment | Need help commenting? Click here

  • drtguy

    What about the beer garden?

    Report comment

  • http://twitter.com/austinbri austinbri

    Why does this come as a surprise toanyone? The City and the County have done SQUAT for the fair in many a long year. Terrible attractions, no events, the place is run down…That’s why we go to every fair around SE Minnesota except for Austin’s, and we’re Austin residents. What a shame.

    Report comment

  • YinYangfeelings

    I am outraged that the County lets everything get rundown, and then they jump into teardown mode.  I live in a 100 year old house, and I can guarantee you that my house is in better shape today, then when it was built!   My house looks like new is because we do maintenance, something that the County has not done in 52 years to the grandstand.  Seems odd that the Mower County Historical Society is located just across the street from the grandstand, and now we can’t even be sure that this historical structure will survive!!!  Quit handing out money to people that choose not to work, and please put our taxpayer money to work on things we all can enjoy.   

    Report comment

  • LEXXfan

    $500,000 to repair something that was last repaired 52 years ago doesn’t seem very expensive when you put it into perspective. It’s also 10 times cheaper than renovating the courthouse/jail project they are currently working on. Reinartz acts like fixing the grandstand is like throwing money down a rathole, but it’s a HUGE part of the fabric of and history that is the Mower County Fair. Can you imagine walking around out there with a big gaping hole where the grandstand once stood? It would seem very strange, and like you weren’t even in the same place. Please County Board, don’t be short-sighted and tear this important piece of our history down. Reinstate an admission charge to get into the Fair of a dollar for kids and 2 or 3 dollars for adults for the next few years, and those proceeds could completely PAY FOR the entire renovation. Get off of this “free fair” obsession, and start bringing some money back in so that you can build the Mower County Fair back up again to the proud position it once held as one of the top 5 county fairs in Minnesota. It’s the same no-investment mentality that basically destroyed downtown Austin for 30 years. Nobody invested a dime in the buildings downtown for DECADES, and look at what a dump it became. Start investing money into the Fair again and people will come back. Why do you think the Steele County Fair is so popular? They bring in big name acts, and they SPEND MONEY on making their facilities top notch. That fair is HUGE, and it didn’t get that way by pinching pennies…

    Report comment

Editor's Picks