BROKEN BOW- The Custer County Ag Society met for a regular board meeting Thursday night at the Custer County Fairgrounds.
The board discussed two expenses, the first being furnaces for the shooting sports building. Board president Casey Cooksley stated that Taylor Heating & Cooling indicated the units on the building appeared to be from the mid-90s and were simply worn out. The board unanimously approved replacement units to be purchased for no more than $5,500 as quoted by Taylor Heating & Cooling.
The fairgrounds service pickup and the cost of its engine replacement was also approved. The board unanimously approved payment to Ranchland Ford, allowing staff to have the pickup back up and running, ending the inconvenience of needing to use personal vehicles.
A resignation of Ashley Garrelts from the board for personal reasons was accepted by the board, followed by an appointment of Bonnie Winters as treasurer. Winters followed her appointment with the suggestion to the board of using their Quickbooks subscription for more rather than paying $800 a month for accounting services. The board asked Winters to visit the accountant and ask for what is included with their services now and how costs would change if some items were done by fairgrounds staff.
The board encouraged anyone interested in joining the board’s vacancy to contact a current board member.
Stephanie Grafel appeared on behalf of the Broken Bow Chamber to present the board with a proposal to partner for a July 13th, 2024 event that would include five music performers, a food truck festival, as well as various attractions from RockIt Event Pros. Grafel indicated that the chamber board felt the event could be a great entertainment option for visitors in town for the other event scheduled at the fairgrounds that weekend, as well as an attractive weekend activity for residents. Due to the way the calendar falls in 2024 and maybe 2025, the chamber fell off of the DC Lynch carnival schedule, the reason for searching for a new event to have. She also stated the chamber was seeking funding assistance for the event. The board gave resounding support of the idea and encouraged more information as details were ironed out.
The grounds manager report included an update on the stall barn dirt filling project, cited to be about 3/4 done. A question was raised regarding Junk Jaunt space rental costs, with which the board stated they would research to find what has been charged in the past.
Discussion on building bids for barns seven and eight was postponed indefinitely by the board. It was stated that bids received ranged everywhere from a do-it-yourself kit to a fully furnished project.
It was reported to the board that communication with Ultimate Bullfighters event coordinator Josh Call had reached confirmation that he was a go to have the event during the fair this year.
The board closed the meeting by thanking the Lions Club for assisting them with the purchase of eight new tables for the fairgrounds. The search will continue for the tables that were taken from the fairgrounds early this year without being returned.
A motion was made and approved for adjournment at 8:11 PM.
