Ingenuity, Donations, Volunteers Save Fair Board $50,000-Plus On Project

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By Linda Kor
    During the March 12 meeting of the Navajo County Fair Board, President Rusty DeSpain discussed the upcoming Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) lighting project planned to upgrade the electrical system at the fairgrounds in Holbrook.
    “Part of our five-year plan is that in the fifth year we would put out about $53,000 in order to upgrade the electrical situation at the north end of the park and at the carnival area,” stated DeSpain. “I spoke with Randy Johnson, who’s a retired APS employee, about our intentions and he came back to me with a plan.”
    As part of this plan, DeSpain went to the city with a request for some of the light poles removed from Navajo Blvd. last year as part of an enhancement project.
    “The city donated the 10 poles needed for the project and Randy offered to come out of retirement long enough to donate his time to assist in this project,” related DeSpain.
    Dan Hinz, building and grounds director for Navajo County, stated that the necessary 250’ of two-inch conduit would likely be donated if approval can be received from the Board of Supervisors.
    In order to dig the trench necessary for the conduit, the City of Holbrook will allow the use of its trench digger as long as a city employee is willing to donate his time to dig it. Tim Kelly, a city employee and fair board member, offered his time for the project.
    APS will set the transformer and pull through the conduit.
    “The result is that we will only be paying for two electrical boxes for a total project cost of anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500,” stated DeSpain. “I want to express my gratitude to Randy Johnson and his wife Lisa. If it weren’t for their efforts, this project would not have happen for another five years.”
    In other business, DeSpain reported two bids were received for construction of the new pig barn. Gran-tham Fence and Supply Company of Wickenberg bid $10,365 plus eight percent tax, and Mueller Inc. of Moriarty, N.M., bid $7,705.14, plus 6.63 percent tax. The board awarded the contract to Mueller.
    “The dollar amount may seem high, but we still have $5,000 that was awarded by the Board of Supervi-sors back in 2007 and a letter has been written to the board for an additional $9,000 in order to finish this project,” noted DeSpain.
    The board also elected to suspend the current liquor license for the duration of the 2008 fair in order to apply for a Class 15 liquor license that would allow the sale of hard liquor. This would allow sponsors such as Jack Daniels and Crown Royal to donate the alcohol for the event. Board members discussed where the bars would be located on the fairgrounds and the security measures that would need to be taken to ensure that there is no misuse of armbands. The board also discussed purchasing an identification card machine, noting that it might be a wise investment. DeSpain stated that these machines keep a record of who has been carded in order to ensure that everyone drinking has been proven to be of drinking age. “The machine runs around $300 to $500, but I think it would be a wise investment worth looking into,” noted DeSpain.
    Following the fair, the regular license would be reinstated, which allows for only the sale of wine and beer on the premises. The stipulation regarding the Class 15 license is that no hard liquor can remain on the premises once the event is over. The license permits only the retail purchase of alcohol.
    In other business it was noted that the Web site for upcoming events at the fairgrounds has been up-dated, and the ShoWorks Service Plan was approved for the upcoming year.