Ron Hurtt, fair board president, said building two smaller barns, about 6,400 square feet each and without stalls, may be a solution to providing a new facility that could be used for various horse show events as well as inside storage during the winter.
“With racing being what it is, we’re thinking about the future,” he said. “... Is it the right plan? Our board thinks it is.”
The county could receive $717,747 from insurance reimbursements if it constructs a replacement barn the same size as Barn 16 or $532,421 if it decides to construct something similar, the commissioners said.
The proposed new barns would cost about $400,000, according to an estimate by Wilson.
Commissioner Pat South asked if there was any thought about building a bunkhouse for people to stay overnight in periodically.
Hurtt said the fair board did not want to deal with renting rooms or want to compete with an adjacent motel.
Commissioner Mike Kilburn said he did not want to see a homeless shelter there and that the decision is up to the fair board. But, he said “it makes sense” to have a fireproof building for people to stay overnight.
“We can’t police or keep people from staying there overnight,” he said. “We need a safe area.”
Whether a bunkhouse is built or not, South said security needs to be increased. Hurtt said the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and Lebanon police have been going through the fairgrounds to prevent overnight stays and added a night rover checking the fairgrounds at night.
Lisa Cronin, a Lebanon resident, said other race tracks offer a place for grooms to stay overnight in and that renting a motel room would eat into their wages of about $290 a week.
“I’m advocating that you step up and give them a safe place other than a tack room,” she said.
Commissioner David Young said this is a major decision for that facility and he’d like to see this asset leveraged.
Hurtt said in addition to the 80 stalls that were lost in the fire, the fair board has 487 stalls of 600 that are being rented at $40 each a month. The revenue is used to operate the Warren County Fair each year.
The fair board only rents stalls to Standardbred race horses and not the general public who might own a horse, said Joe Wilson, a fair board member.
Hurtt said he’d like to see at least one of the new barns built before the Warren County Fair begins in July. “We’re just trying to get a conversation started,” he said.
Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office, said the Dec. 5 fire remains an active, ongoing investigation. He could not say when the investigation would be completed.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4504 or erichter@coxohio.com.
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