Fair board seeks help

Six days after rain forced the cancellation of events at the Jay County Fair, Bob Lyons went to the Jay County Commissioners to discuss a solution.
During the drainage board portion of their Monday morning meeting, commissioners Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman heard Lyons, a long-time fair board member, request funding for a storm sewer line from the fairgrounds to the Salamonie River.
A 15-inch line carries water from the fairgrounds to the Salamonie River. Lyons and county engineer Dan Watson would like to see an 18-inch line installed.
County surveyor Brad Daniels said the 15-inch line could remain and the county could continue maintaining it, allowing the amount of water that flows away from the fairgrounds to more than double.
The Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association has already pledged $10,000 toward the $44,800 project, Lyons said. At a Portland Board of Works meeting July 2, the city agreed to spend $20,000.
The commissioners said they will introduce the idea to Jay County Council at its 7 p.m. Wednesday meeting at Jay County Retirement Center.
On July 7, the county received more than 2 inches of rain, which flooded parts of the fairgrounds and led to the closure of the midway. Straw races were canceled and figure 8 racing was rescheduled.
“We’ve never closed the fair down like we did Tuesday,” Lyons told the commissioners. “That was a killer.”
Those changes were in addition to the June 30 decision to reschedule the Trace Adkins concert from July 8 to Aug. 14 because of wet conditions at the infield of the grandstand.
The commissioners also:
•Heard from Arts Place executive director Eric Rogers that 486 children were enrolled in classes as of the end of June.
•Learned from health department employees Peggy Atkinson and Dave Houck that the department’s 2016 budget will not change significantly from this year’s.
•Heard from Jay County Chamber of Commerce executive director Dean Sanders that Chamber membership is increasing.
He also noted Stars in the Park starts at 6:30 Thursday at the Hudson Family Park Amphitheatre.
Other upcoming events are the Senior Expo Aug. 22 and the Jay County Food and Drink Festival Sept. 27.
•Signed documents to notify Jay County residents that their ditch assessments are increasing. Citizens paying assessments in the Wehrly, Little Salamonie, Ross Days, Halfway and Brooks Creek watersheds will pay $2 per acre with a plot minimum of $20.