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Canfield Fair invests $200K in improvements for 2009
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HOW IT WAS: Much work occurred before Canfield Fair opening day, including replacing the roofs of the Carriage Museum, 4-H Coliseum and Grange Building. The Carriage Museum’s construction, above, was the most expensive and took the longest. Built in 1975, it needed a new roof, floor and drain work.
Capital improvements
During the off-season a committee made about $200,000 in renovations and updates at the Canfield Fairgrounds. The most expensive projects proved to be roof replacements for three buildings.
Carriage Museum: New roof, new floor and drain repairs, about $40,000.
4-H Coliseum: New roof and ventilation system, about $26,000.
Grange Building: New roof, about $16,000.
Electrical poles: Two poles and equipment replaced near Kiddie Land, about $30,000.
Paving projects: About $20,000.
Barn doors: Replacements, about $5,000.
Miscellaneous: About $63,000.
Source: The Canfield Fair
CANFIELD — A new barn roof isn’t something many people might notice while strolling through the fairgrounds, but it’s that type of structural update that George Less said improves the overall fair experience.
Less, grounds committee chairman, said about $200,000 of the allotted $250,000 was spent on capital improvement projects this year.
He said the rest will be held onto in case of an unexpected repair, such as a water main break.
“We usually try to hold some money so if anything major happens during fair time we have the money to fix it,” he said.
Less said work to replace the roofs of the Carriage Museum, 4-H Coliseum and Grange Building began in early spring.
“A lot of the work has to do with safety and general maintenance, and keeping the buildings in shape for years to come,” he said.
The Carriage Museum’s construction was the most expensive and took the longest, Less said.
“That’s where we spent a lot of the money,” he said. “It was built to look rustic with wood shake shingles, and they just didn’t hold up at all.”
The Carriage Museum, built in 1975, needed a new roof, floor and drain work, which totaled about $41,000, Less said.
“Had to go back in and lay plywood then put the new shingles on, which is why the roof was so expensive,” he said.
Less said the wood floor of the barn was replaced with concrete for safety measures.
“We were also worried about tripping issues inside the barn,” he said. “The floor was made of rough-cut lumber, so we tore that out and laid concrete.”
Another expensive project was the 4-H Coliseum.
“We did major roof updates at the Coliseum,” Less said. “The roof had been re-shingled three or four times, but we had to strip it down this time.”
Junior Fair Director Ward Campbell said creating better ventilation inside the barn was important.
He said the peak of the roof was opened up, glass panels around the barn were replaced with screens and eight ceiling fans were installed, in addition to a new Coliseum roof.
“We added some curtains for shade,” he said. “And we opened up the roof so air could flow in and out, which will cool off the barn.”
Campbell said ventilation in the barn not only keeps spectators more comfortable, but it’s better for the animals.
“It will keep the steers cooler and healthier,” he said. “We’ve had trouble with pneumonia because of the ammonia and the heat inside the barn.”
Less said the Coliseum roof totaled nearly $20,000, and Campbell said the ventilation at the top was an additional $6,000.
Campbell said the updates were welcome by everyone who uses the barn.
“The building was built in the 1940s. It’s one of the original buildings,” he said. “It’s been quite a while since we were able to spend a lot of money on updates.”
The curtains and ceiling fans, which cost about $2,700, were paid for by the 4-H group’s market livestock group, Campbell said.
Less said the Grange Building roof cost about $16,000. He said on average, one or two roofs are replaced each year.
Though Less said major roadways inside the fairgrounds are often repaved, the grounds committee decided to take a different approach this year.
“This year we did more taking care of issues where sidewalks heaved,” he said. “We did more fine-tuning rather than volume and paving a lot of main roads.”
Less said about $20,000 was spent on blacktop, which was used mostly for repaving approaches up to the buildings.
“We spent a lot of time walking to grounds looking for trip hazards,” he said.
Less said as soon as the fair ends, planning for off-season renovations begin.
“Right after the fair wraps up we have a general idea of how much money we’ll have to spend,” he said. “Everyone on the grounds committee gets together and takes a tour of the grounds ... Then we put in our priorities.”
Updating the the Grandstand, installing a GPS system and major fixes on the storm water and sewer systems are three things on Less’s agenda for next year.
“The GPS will be great because we have so much going on under the ground, that if we have a water break we’ll know exactly where it is and we can go straight to it,” he said.
The Canfield Fair kicks off today and runs through Sept. 7.
efranco@vindy.com
The Canfield Fair, which opens today and runs through Labor Day, offers ride and admission prices for fairgoers of all ages.
ADMISSION Thursday
Adults 18 and older: $7
Youth 13 to 17: $2
Children 12 and under: Free
ADMISSION FRIDAY
Senior citizens: $5
ADMISSION WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY
Adults 13 and over: $7
Youth 7 to 12: $2
Children 6 and under: Free
Multiple-day passes: $15 for a three-day pass and $30 for a six-day pass.
Ride Passes
Wednesday: $15, ride from 1 to 11 p.m.
Thursday: $15, ride from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday: $15, ride from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday: $20, ride from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Source: The Canfield Fair