Mayor Randy Porter said the county will use capital project funding in the coming year to finish more of the new Putnam County Fairgrounds on Tennessee Avenue.
Porter said a $500,000 grant meant for sports complex lighting will be redirected to the fairgrounds. Porter said the money will go towards building a new steel and wood barn, which is needed to house animals. Porter said the after the barn, the last big fairground project is a covered arena.
“ARC is doing a grant, a study, to see what the impact would be with that covered arena as far as all the shows that it would bring in,” Porter said. “If that study shows well, then we’ve got a really good chance of getting an ARC grant to at least pay for half of that.”
Porter said the covered arena is planned for a future expansion. Porter said there is some $1.5 million in the budget for a steel canopy cover over the fairgrounds grandstand seating, which could be taken out if the commission would like.
Porter said all 6,000 seats in the fairground grandstand are all on one side, and there is room for another grandstand across from them if a need arises. Porter said the ongoing paving and sidewalk projects at the fairgrounds were funded in the previous budget.
Porter said the County has received an $8.75 million grant for the Expo Center and Emergency Facilities.
“Our share is $3.25 million to go into that, build that facility,” Porter said. “It’s unbelievable to get that much for it. We’ve already got people trying to rent it and we haven’t even started construction yet.”
Elsewhere, Porter said a $1.75 million grant was received for an expansion to the library. Porter said the grant has a $200,000 match.
“You would think that over the years, people would use the library would be going down in the people that use it,” Porter said. “But it’s not. It’s going in the opposite direction.”
Porter said there is funding to replace the floors, furniture, and circulation desk at the library budgeted.
Porter said the County also received a $750,000 grant to renovate tennis courts. Porter said most of the money will go to courts at the community center, but he hopes some of that money will go to courts in Baxter and Monterey.
