BROKEN BOW – The Custer County Ag Society held its monthly meeting on Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at the Custer County Fairgrounds’ Shooting Sports Building. Ag Society President Kent Nelson was absent, leaving board member Casey Cooksley in charge of the meeting.
The front and center were potential renovation plans for the Grange Building. The United Methodist Church famously use the building to serve food to fairgoers during the Custer County Fair, and with warmer weather on the horizon, a collaboration between the church and the Ag Society was discussed to update the building, with a particular focus on the windows.
United Methodist member Rex Taylor, present for negotiations on behalf of his church, explained that with a little ingenuity, the Grange Building could come pretty close to a full remodel, windows included, for under $5,000 if the Ag Society would agree to purchase the windows.
“What we’d like is for you guys to cover that part, because those are things we could not take with us if we left. We’re figuring we’ll do the labor. There are some Formica countertops about 6 feet tall. I assume we could use those on the north wall to save a little here and there.”
To stay under budget and on schedule for the summer season, Taylor said the plan would involve slightly shrinking the current windows, given the current hefty price tag of materials.
“I looked everywhere for windows to just replace the ones we have, but unfortunately, it would have been a thousand dollars apiece. Those windows are three feet wide and six feet high. So I came up with a window three feet wide and four feet high, and I’d build a shutter on either side, so we’d still have six windows, they just wouldn’t be as wide.”
After discussion and further planning, which would include the possibility of acquiring an air conditioning unit for the Grange Building from the soon-to-be-demolished Custer School, the Ag Society unanimously approved Taylor’s plan, which authorized purchases for the window project not to exceed $5,000.
The Ag Society tabled the subject of demolition of Barn 1 and the restrooms behind the grandstands, promising to hold a special meeting if updated quotes arrived from the two bidders. That meeting was held on Sunday, March 12.
Additionally, the board tabled its discussion surrounding the installation of fans in the indoor arena; the cost for such a project could total nearly $50,000. In order to complete the project by summer, the board calculated that it would need to reach a decision on how to proceed by its April meeting.
Last month’s discussion around repairing the fairground’s return alley south of the indoor arena was resolved: the board unanimously approved the purchase of 48 freestanding panels.
The board heard reports from the 4-H Council and the Fairgrounds Administrator; the Ag Society will be participating in the upcoming Give 4 Custer County campaign in the form of a June 29 burger bash at the Grocery Kart. For insurance purposes, the Hog Barn will be fixed before June 23, and the fairground’s water truck, after experiencing a recent breakdown, should be fixed in the near future.
The Shooting Sports Building and two others on the fairgrounds will be receiving new doors in the coming weeks, as well.
The meeting adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
