ASHLAND — Ashland County commissioners opened two bids on Thursday for repair work on the fairground’s grandstand.
Work on the mid-1930s structure has been estimated to cost up to $125,000, for what officials have called “minor repair” work on joists, bearing plates and deteriorated wood.
Two companies — Scout Construction and Bogner Construction — placed bids for the work. Bogner came in the lowest at $123,225. Scout placed a $188,500 bid. Commissioners said they’d announce their hire soon.
Dennis Harris, the county’s maintenance superintendent, said he performs regular visual inspections of all county-owned buildings periodically. Several years ago, Harris noticed the grandstand’s vertical beams appeared rusty.
“So a structural engineer came in … from that, they actually found repairs that needed done,” Harris said. So the county did work on the beams and poured a new floor.
Last year, commissioners noticed more rust of the support beams and rotted wood on top of those beams. There wasn’t enough time before the fair in September to do a full repair, so crews made it safe, said commissioner Denny Bittle.
“It wasn’t as bad as it looked,” Bittle said. “So that gave us time to do the full inspection.”
Work on the grandstand will extend into summer, but everything is expected to wrap by September before the fair begins, said Brad Adams, owner of VSWC Architects, the firm hired to perform the inspection.
Barry Litten, the fairground’s co-manager and maintenance superintendent, said there are a few events that will pause work on the grandstand.
“We’ll still have all our events out there — and everything is safe there,” he said.
The grandstand will host a professional wrestling show on June 15, a Sorelle concert on July 13 and a vintage motorcycle race on July 27.
The fair is scheduled for Sept. 16-24.