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ANNUAL PAYMENT • Kyle Carter, Kyle Garrett and Chris Memmott, Ute Stampede Committee members, present Commission Chairman Marvin Kenison with their annual payment for the westside bleachers at the fairgrounds.

By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent

In spite of two years of COVID-19, the Ute Stampede Committee was able to meet their financial obligation and keep their promise to pay a share for new bleachers at the grand arena.

In 2009, Juab County, the Ute Stampede Committee and the Juab County Fair Board entered into an agreement so the three entities could rebuild the west bleachers in the grand arena.

Chris Memmott, Kyle Garrett and Kyle J. Carter, representing the Ute Stampede Committee, attended Juab County Commission meeting on Monday to present commissioners with two checks, each for $10,000, for a total of $20,000.

“In 2020, we were worried about Covid and were not sure we would have a rodeo,” said Memmott. “The community stepped up even when we were not sure.”

What started as a mystery disease was first referred to as 2019-nCoV and then named COVID-19. December 31, 2019 the first cases were detected in Wuhan, China, and were reported to WHO. On March 11, 2020, WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic. WHO said the outbreak was the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus.

“We depend on ticket sales to help pay for our share of the loan payment,” said Memmott. “We were able to have the rodeo that year after all.”

In 2020, they were able to also hold the XTREME Bulls event but did not make much that first year.

That event will be back this year for the third year and is now a draw for bull riding fans.

Because of Covid, they had been uncertain they could meet their obligation to repay the loan and also meet their other financial obligations that came from putting on the rodeo. However, they were able to do so and made a payment for 2020 in February 2021.

Each of the three entities agreed to pay $10,000 a year, said Memmott.

“The county pays $13,000 each year,” said Clinton Painter, county commissioner. “That brings the total to $33,000 which is the annual loan payback amount.”

The west arena fairground replacement bleachers were paid for by a Community Impact Board (CIB) loan.

The loan was for zero percent interest and the contract is to be repaid in 30 years. Thirteen of those years have passed leaving 17 more years to go.

Some of the CIB money also came in the form of a grant which does not need to be repaid.

The cost of the new bleachers which were constructed on the west side of the grand arena amounted to approximately $1 million.

“Today we have the checks for the 2021 and 2022 payments, which will make us current,” said Memmott.

He said that Garrett and Carter were to be thanked for the work they did on ticket sales and advertising. It was that work that kept ticket sales up and the rodeo in the front of the minds of fans.