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Several local groups are looking into the possibility of building a community center at the Hill County Fairgrounds that could be used year-round.
The proposed building might serve the Great Northern Fair Board, local 4-H programs and the Havre Wrestling Club, said Craig Erickson, community planner at Bear Paw Development Corp.
"It is really just in the idea stage. The 4-H people need a building, the wrestling people need a building, obviously the fairgrounds need some upgrades, so we're just looking at what is available," he said.
Little has transpired beyond discussions among the groups, Erickson said, adding that the size, cost or even location of the building has not been determined.
Many of the buildings at the fairgrounds are old and inadequate, Erickson said, adding that a new building would be ideal because it could be used by the fair board and 4-H groups during the summer and the wrestling club during the winter.
"The wrestling club is looking for a newer facility, and the fairgrounds, of course, have their issues. Can a building be developed that can serve the needs of those people? It just makes sense to explore the feasibility of bringing these entities together," he said.
The Havre Wrestling Club has met with fair manager Tim Solomon to discuss the proposed building, club president Brian Schaub said this morning.
The club is trying to sell its current building, located on the corner of Second Avenue and Second Street. It costs the club more than $15,000 annually to pay taxes, insurance and utilities on the building, Schaub said.
"It's hard to raise that kind of money every year," he said. "Right now, what we have is ideal, other than we can't afford it."
To alleviate annual expenses, the wrestling club's board of directors is exploring two options, Schaub said: using facilities at Montana State University-Northern or collaborating to build the community center at the fairgrounds.
"For us, the next step in the process is selling the building," he said, adding that some of that money could be put toward a new structure at the fairgrounds if that is determined to be the best option.
"Nothing is set in stone. It's all tentative on how much money we have, and what the board decides to do. The board will have to make any decisions," he said.
The wrestling club has listed its building with a selling price of $90,000. The building, which was home to a grocery store and then a roller rink before being purchased by the wrestling club, could be remodeled to house office space, Schaub said.
Schaub said the board wants to sell the building because the club would like to earmark more money for kids' wrestling programs, including camps and scholarships. Now, nearly all of the money the group raises goes to cover the maintenance and utility costs of the building, he said.
A new facility with lower annual costs would free up more money for "wrestling in general and not so much building upkeep," Schaub said.
More than 100 children were enrolled with the Havre Wrestling Club last year, he added.
Before the proposed community center at the fairgrounds could be realistically pursued, a number of questions must be answered, Erickson said.
"Obviously there will need to be some planning involved. We need to determine the size of the building and what it will cost to make the project happen," he said. "Some of the things we're looking at is who would be involved and what would be in the building."
Funding will likely be the largest obstacle, he added.
"The challenge is that there is not a lot of grant funding for this type of project. There's not much available at the state or federal level," he said. "We would have to look for local sponsors. I will warn people that getting money from private organizations is a very competitive thing."
Erickson said that for the project to move forward, Hill County must formally request the assistance of Bear Paw Development.
"We need to bring the groups together, and use that information to put together the scope of the project. Then we need go out and raise the money to build it," he said. "It could be a good thing. It could be a very good thing."
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