County fair grandstand goes to bid letting

The first of two parts of a project to replace the current grandstand at the Adair County Fairgrounds went out for bids last week.

The supervisors authorized a bid letting for Wednesday, June 5 on the grandstand part of the project only. The concrete part of the work will be let for bids separately later.

“We’ve advertised for bids and have had a few companies respond. Now they have all their information they need,” Supervisor Chairman and fair board member Nathan Baier said. “We’re just waiting on bids to come in. Once we get those bids in and make a decision we will go to bids for concrete. We’re also talking about what we have to do to get the old one tore down. We pretty much know what we need to do for dirt work. Stuff’s finally kind of rolling.”

The current grandstand, which pre-dates 1930, has seen normal wear and tear through the years. The steps are steep, making them hard to traverse for many.

The new grandstand will be of similar size, however the surrounding grade will be level with the new structure and handicap seating areas will be greatly enhanced so sight lines are optimal for all. The new grandstand will have a roof over it and backrests as the existing one does.

Baier said concrete work will be done ahead of time, but the grandstand itself will hopefully be erected in a 90-day window next spring and completed by the start of June.

A different plan that the fair board ultimately rejected would have included a large retaining wall on the back side of the grandstand. That plan did not seem to be the most practical to planners for many reasons. Instead, the new grandstand being plumb with the surrounding ground will be a benefit to vendors who set up during the fair on the north side of the structure.

“At the end of the day, we really wanted to stick with something like what we have. We wanted a roof, wanted backrests on the bleachers,” Baier said. “We priced it and it wasn’t a crazy difference. This grandstand has lasted 100 years, so surely this next one will.”