TROY – Midwest Maintenance Inc. in Piqua was awarded the contract for the Miami County Fairground grandstand rehabilitation project at the Miami County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The base bid cost of the project is $2,419,000, with nine alternates, depending on other renovations and repairs which can be selected by the design team for additional costs. The total project cost with all alternates is $3,391,600. The project is expected to be finished in time for the 2023 Miami County Fair, according to Charlotte Colley, Miami County administrator.
Commissioner Ted Mercer said, “This is something that the board of commissioners have been working on for several years … this grandstand really needed to be updated for safety and it’s just something that the commissioners feel that the fairgrounds is an area that has may been neglected over a number of years. We’d like to see more events at the fairgrounds.”
According to Mercer, the rehabilitated grandstand will hold 3,500 seats.
Commissioner Gregory Simmons discussed why the project consists of rehabilitating the grandstand compared to building a new one. Simmons said it was more cost effective to rehabilitate the structure and that the structure “is a piece of history.”
Commissioner Wade Westfall said, “Agriculture plays a critical role in our county. Our fair is a landmark event where thousands visit each year. It’s amazing to see all of the hard work of our agricultural community.”
The commissioners authorized two grants for Springcreek Elementary in the amount of $500 and Cookson Elementary in the amount of $784.78. The grants are to help promote waste reduction education.
The Sheriff’s Office received $78,702.28 in awards for the selective traffic enforcement program and the impaired driving enforcement program.
Another resolution commissioners approved was the purchase of a Kohler Automatic Transfer Switch for a cost of $8,869 for the Camp Troy Pump Station upgrade project. The next resolution authorized the purchase of Kohler generator, for a cost of $127,605 for the same project. According to Paul Huelskamp, Miami County engineer, the two items are for the upgrade project to be done at a later date, and the items are being purchased now in case of supply chain issues.
The commissioners authorized an addendum for funding for the youthful drive safety program which extends the programs funding for two years. The funding is in the amount of $20,000 and is used to send youth to an advanced driver education class.
The final four resolutions involved benefits for county employees including worker’s compensation insurance, health insurance, dental services, and vision services.
