By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
A group of citizens representing some of the festivals
held in Nephi along with the Nephi City Chamber of Commerce
President, asked for help with the financial end of
replacing the old section of the main arena at the county
fairgrounds.
The help the group is seeking from the county is
assistance in paying for an engineer.
Bob Day, representing both the Ute Stampede Committee
and the county grounds and building department, Chad Winn,
representing the county fair board, Brent Boswell,
representing the Mormon Handcart Pageant, and Mike Sperry,
representing the Nephi Chamber of Commerce, all met with
commissioners to make the request.
Day presented the commission with a drawing of the new
section which is designed to replace the old wooden
structure on the west side of the arena.
"The seats there now are narrow, terrible and
uncomfortable," said Day.
The new seats will be 22-inches wide and will have
four-inches more knee room.
Restrooms and concession stand are designed to fit
beneath the stands.
A rough estimate would be that the project would cost
between $1 million and $2 million.
"The stands on the west side of the arena were built
in the 1930s," said Day. "They need to be taken down and
replaced."
There is money available for approved projects from
CIB (Community Impact Board) as low-interest loans," said
Neil Cook, commission chairman. "There isn't much grant
money."
Winn said that the county fair had continued to grow
and there were additional events which had been added so
that those events drew even more people.
"The county population may double in the next 10 to 15
years," said Winn.
As the population grew, the need for an even better
facility became even more important.
"We have been putting money aside," said Winn. The
fairboard had not accumulated a great deal but was willing
to see the money used for such a cause.
Boswell thanked the commission for doing so much to
help his program, the annual Mormon Handcart Pageant.
"It always comes down to money," he said.
He said the pageant would be improved by the
replacement stands in that the pageant could be twirled
around to face the west, rather than the east. That would
allow easier exiting of the cast and animals used in the
pageant.
Presently, the cast needs to exit under the stands
where the audience is located.
The sound system would also be faced west rather than
east and toward the community.
"We think it is a worthy project," said Boswell.
Each year the production grows and the pageant has not
advertised as heavily as they could because, if they grow
much bigger, some of the fans will either need to be given
poor seats or will need to be turned away.
The new grandstand sections would solve that
problem.
"The Chamber also supports the project," said
Sperry.
As money comes into the community from the events held
at the fairgrounds, it trickles out so that even more
community members benefit.
If the facility was even nicer that it is at present,
he said, other high-quality events could be brought to the
community. Chamber members would like to see one event at
the fairgrounds every week.
Hopefully the county would be able to get money to
help with the project, he said. The Chamber was willing to
do what it could to help.
"All of the activities we have at the fairgrounds are
great for the community," said Cook. "Do you have numbers of
what it would cost to build?"
Day said with the rapid rise in the cost of concrete
and other building materials he had been afraid to put
pencil to paper. However, those present were hoping that the
commission, as they begin the budgeting process for the
coming year, would consider adding money to be used for an
engineered design.
"I think it is a great idea," said Val Jones,
commissioner. He said as commissioners meet with other
commissioners from other counties they see good ideas.
One of those was the Golden Spike National Historic
Site.There is re-enactment of the driving of the golden
spike every year. The annual Railroader's Festival is held
in August, and the Winter Steam Demonstration and Film
Festival are in December. Working replicas of the 1869 steam
locomotives 'Jupiter' and '119' are in operation from May to
October, There is a 1.5 mile trail and rangers offer talks
daily. Visitors can also drive the six-mile auto tour at the
site.
"They are busy 380 days a year," said Jones.
Panguitch built an arena which brings many events to
that area, said Winn.
Day said that the Ute Stampede Committee built the
last seats at the fairgrounds arena. The committee came into
the commission and were given a loan which they then
repaid.
"We spend a lot of money at the fairgrounds and we do
get some benefit, as a county, but Nephi City gets more,"
said Robert Steele, commissioner. "We have to involve Nephi
City."
Juab County, he said, really doesn't benefit much from
the events at the fairgrounds when it came to improving the
tax base. In addition, this year promises to be tight,
financially speaking.
"We are lucky to have the power plant adding to our
tax base," he said.
There were many places to spend the county's money.
The employees needed raises, the commission had just voted
to take a lower rated insurance program because of the high
cost of maintaining better coverage, and the county computer
system had to be updated.
"I don't know that we have a lot of money for
engineering," said Steele.
On the other hand, he said, it was obvious that costs
for construction were on an upward trend. The longer the
project is postponed the more likely it is to cost even
more.
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