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Fair board discusses Bigger Better Barn insulation, upcoming events

Editor's note: This version corrects the date listed in the photo captions that the Great Northern Fair Board meeting was held.

Insulation for the Bigger Better Barn on the Great Northern Fairgrounds and events that would be held during Fair Week 2020 were discussed at the Great Northern Fair Board's monthly meeting Tuesday.

Great Northern Fair Board member Ray Kallenberger made a motion to finish insulating the Bigger Better Barn.

"East, west, north, south walls down to the plywood, and repair those doors and put that out for bids to get that completed," he said. "I think we need to complete that project."

"I'd agree with that," Great Northern Fair Board member Jack Solomon said, adding that he seconded the motion.

Great Northern Fair Board member Shawn Bickford said this is at least a $10,000 to $15,000 project.

He added that the north and southeast doors in the Bigger Better Barn are already insulated.

Kallenberger said the board should work on getting those doors fixed and then it can look at other things in the Bigger Better Barn, like working on the arena in the building.

The board discussed many alternatives to what can be used to insulate the doors.

"The motion is for the white simple saver system to go down to the plywood, minor repair on some doors including the replacement of the southwest door and replacement door," Great Northern Fair Board Chair Tyler Smith said.

Kallenberger, Solomon and Bobbie Dolphay voted for the motion while opposed was vice chair Chelby Gooch, Bickford and Ron Konesky.

"I just don't feel like we are all in agreeance with this," Gooch said. "I think there is way too many questions still out there and we don't have all the information, that's just my feel."

"The insulation causes more issues than what it helps, so I think we are past not insulating it at all. For what I think we are going to get out of insulating the wall is going to be more cosmetic and make it look good and make the (barn) user-friendly and nice," Bickford said. "I don't think you should get really crazy with the insulation because you are never going to heat that building completely."

Smith broke the tie vote.

"I will not obligate us to a contract, but I would like to see pricing of solutions, so I'm going 'Yea' for pricing, but not to move any further until this group agrees to a more solid plan," Smith said.

With the new year comes a new schedule of events at the Great Northern Fairgrounds.

Dolphay said events coming up at the fairgrounds include a pig sale in March, a Pinewood Derby and Montana State University-Northern Bares and Broncs in April and weddings in May, June and July.

"We've got quite a few events that are starting up, so we'll get some activity up there on the grounds, which will be nice," she said.

She added that as of Tuesday some of the events scheduled to be held during the Great Northern Fair will be the junior rodeo Wednesday, July 15, the open rodeo Thursday, July 16, the Cody Four Colors Memorial Bull Riding Friday, July 17, and the Jaycees Demolition Derby Saturday, July 18.

Montana State University Hill County Extension Agent Jasmine Cabajal said anyone interested in renting out the 4-H Chuckwagon on the fairgrounds should contact the Hill County Extension office in the Hill County Courthouse.

Konesky said the sidewalk in front of the Chuckwagon will be done in the spring, and Smith said so will moving the RV sewage drain on the fairgrounds campground.

The next Great Northern Fair Board meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the Timmons Room of the Hill County Courthouse.

 

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