In the summer of 2007, when rains draped a blanket of water over most of Allen County, the buildings at the fairgrounds in Riverside Park were among those hardest hit.
On Tuesday, representatives from the Allen County Fair Board asked the commission for their support in repairing a list of building defects, many of which likely stem from that disaster — and, of course, from the decades of vigorous use.
Among the menu of ailments, Extension agent and fair board representative Carla Nemecek listed comprehensive paint flaking, rotted lumber, rusted tin.
The commission currently gives the fair board $11,000 per year, said Nemecek. “Five-thousand of that goes to 4-H, so that we can pay judges and premiums and all that good stuff. And then the rest of it is spent on utilities, insurance, that kind of thing. So it doesn’t leave much for repair.”
Board member Jerry Middendorf took a deeper dive into the finances. “While our allocations from the county have been very good for the past few years, our income has gone down due to attendance at the events. … By the time we buy insurance and [pay] sales tax and utilities — after we get the $11,000 split up, it’s gone. We have nothing. Sales tax runs anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000. Utilities run about the same. And then we have to have liability insurance 365 days a year.”
Nemecek claimed to have her eye on a couple of grants that would ease the financial strain on any potential large-scale repairs, but “it’s not significant enough to cover the whole cost. We’re coming to the commission and asking if you would be interested in helping us with this project.”
Nemecek supposed she could garner about $5,000 in grant funding. Nothing in the way of repairs would begin before this year’s fair, which runs July 29 – Aug. 6, said Nemecek, “but it is certainly a project that needs attention.”
“To me, this is a no-brainer,” Commissioner Tom Williams told the fair board reps. “You bring in, in a week, huge amounts of people. It’s one of the great events in Allen County. … I’m more than willing to help. Like the Bowlus [Fine Arts Center], the [fairgrounds] are a big part of this county.”
Jim Talkington and Jerry Daniels also made noises of approval and advised Nemecek to forge a long-term prospectus outlining her plans for repairs and the exact nature of her requirements from the county.
THE Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging has been subject to the same series of striking budget cuts that have hobbled the missions of similar agencies across the state. “You may have heard,” intoned Cindy Lane, the group’s director, “we have had a major reduction in funding from the state for the services that we provide people in the home.”
SEKAAA provides services — attendant care, job placement, information, meals, transportation, etc. — to individuals 60 and older. The group tends to nine counties in the region and currently assists 35 clients in Allen County. According to Lane, in the last month the agency has provided more than 600 meals to individuals in Allen County.
“And we did not eliminate anyone from receiving services,” said Lane. “But — we reduced services.”
Lane asked the commission to consider raising their contribution to the agency from $2,000 to $15,000, which would allow SEKAAA to meet the dollar matching requirements of the federal programs from which they benefit.
“Right now, you’re just asking us to think about it?” asked Williams.
“Yes,” said Lane. “I want you to realize that we have gotten by, but it seems like the state keeps asking us to take on more and more responsibility with less and less funding. My predecessor never thought he should ask the county for more money, but I think you should realize that we are providing quite a service in this county.”
