Officials to break ground on new grandstand next Tuesday

Local officials are about to officially kick off construction of the new grandstand.

The county board will host a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new structure at the fairgrounds at 9:30 a.m. next Tuesday with the fair board and Hormel Foundation.

The 1,500-seat grandstand, which will be made of steel and aluminum, should be completed by Aug. 1 in time for the 2013 fair.

Some work on the foundation was scheduled for this week, but it may be pushed back by recent rainy weather. The grandstand structure will be built off-site and assembled in Austin.

The Austin Fire Department demolished the old grandstand in a controlled burn Feb. 2. A structural engineer deemed it unsafe shortly before the 2012 fair after dry rot was discovered in the wood base. The grandstand will cost around $700,000. The Hormel Foundation is paying for $250,000 of the costs.