Fair board may become owner of 4-H building; county will likely pick up tab for repair costs

By Charlene Sims, Journal staff

lcjeditor@icloud.com

MOUND CITY – The Linn County Commissioners met with Abbie Powell, acting district director of the Marais des Cygnes Extension District in Linn County, and Linn County Public Works Director Jesse Walton to discuss the 4-H Building on Monday, Feb. 9.

It was the continuation of a discussion from the prior week about who owns the 4-H Building on the Linn County Fairgrounds, who oversees its use, and who pays for repairs and upkeep.

Commission Chair Alison Hamilton started out the discussion with the problems with the building, especially the heating units that are not working and need to be repaired or replaced due to the release of carbon monoxide.

Other issues Hamilton brought up were the fryers in the kitchen and other appliances.

Powell said that no events that had been scheduled at the 4-H Building were cancelled but were moved to libraries, the America Legion building, and Bunker Hill Community Center 

“We’d like to hear thoughts from you,” Hamilton told Powell, “if it is beneficial that we maintain it or why you think we should, just all the things, the calendar. We talked about the calendar that you have where Jesse doesn’t know it.” 

She went on to say that Walton was not aware of which group booked the building and wouldn’t know who to notify if there was a problem.

“So when there was an issue with carbon monoxide, we can’t have people in there,” Hamilton said. “It’s obviously a liability on the county. And so we did say until today, we just wanted to have another conversation on it.”

Powell said that managing the groups who used the building was something that was somehow inherited by the Extension Service. She acknowledged that her office kept a calendar of who would be using it.

“We do kind of what she was speaking about, a paper calendar,” Powell said. “And our office professionals kept that, and we have a contract and rent that out. And yes, there is disconnect between our office maintaining the calendar and Public Works doing the maintenance on it.”

She said that that has improved since her office began turning in work orders to Public Works.

“We receive the revenue from it that we take to the (county) Treasurer’s office, and that gets deposited into the 4-H building account,” Powell explained. “The revenue from the rental does not come to the Extension or the 4-H. It goes right back to the county. 

“And then I have taken on – because that’s what we had done – the cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags. We have taken on the responsibility of getting these things picked up, and then we turn the bills into the clerk on those. As far as utilities and repairs and those things, we don’t know what those are because they don’t come through our office. 

“We’re the local 'Airbnb' scheduler for the 4-H Building. That kind of puts it into perspective as to what we are doing and as far as events that are coming up, I have those all moved through March.

“The next event we have in there is May 9, which is a graduation, and then the Rodeo Bible Camp, which happens in June, I believe for 10 days. Our office is just under the impression, until further notice, if somebody calls to reserve the 4-H Building that we say it is unavailable at the present time.”

Powell said that at an Extension board meeting last week it was determined that the Extension budget could not take the building on at this time.

Commissioner Jim Johnson asked what happens in Miami County. Do they supply a 4-H building?

Powell said that both Miami and Bourbon County fair boards own the 4-H buildings. And if the 4-H wants to use those building the cost is waived for 4-H. Those fair boards are in charge of scheduling for those buildings.

“So, we haven’t presented this to the fair board,” said Hamilton.

“Here’s the way I see it,” Commissioner Jason Hightower said, “We can push this off on the fair board, and that’s fine. We’re going to see an increase in the fair board budget to offset this budget, right?”

Johnson agreed and said that then the fair board would take more of their mill.

Hightower said the commission would then just be shifting the money from one budget to another.

Hamilton said she understood what they were saying about the budget, but what is needed is not getting done in a timely manner and she did not feel like the commission had enough knowledge of the needs that weren’t taken care of. The county has not fixed the fryers or purchased new chairs.

“I don’t know; I’m just trying to figure out how do we communicate with them better on the needs that they need for the building?” asked Hamilton. 

Both Hightower and Johnson thought the fair board should come in and talk about this. 

Hightower said he thought it would make the most sense. It’s not going to decrease taxes or raise taxes.

Hamilton brought up the issues with the kitchen again saying that the county should get the fryers fixed. Then, she said maybe they should just leave it because maybe the fair board would not like the way the county replaced it. 

Powell said that, on the kitchen, she didn’t think all of those things are necessarily required to have a kitchen. She said that the 4-H Council no longer uses it during fair to do a food stand. 

“We rent it out day by day,” Powell said. “Last year, we did soda fountain pop. That was why we charged a larger rental rate. This year, if we rent it out, it’s going to be a $75 fee per group that they’re going to pay right to the county. 

“It’s not going to go through 4-H Council because essentially they are renting the county’s building. But I don’t feel that we necessarily have to provide fryers and a commercial oven.”

Powell said that installing two household ranges with ovens would suffice to do what 4-H needed for food preparation. She also said if the oven in there currently isn’t working, it needs to be removed.

“There is just a regular oven in there right now that somebody donated, and I think people have been using that” she said. “I think that kind of looking at our expectations of when you rent the 4-H building, you know, just having function versus pizzaz. 

“I think that’s where we’re at with some of that kitchen stuff is I think the people that come in and rent, the biggest thing they are looking at is do we have a functional oven to warm food up? Do we have tables? Do we have chairs? Do we have toilet paper, paper towels and trash bags? Heat and air? 

“Those are the things they worry about. I think the kitchen of just having bare bones is okay because when we go rent places, for the most part ,that’s what you get.”

Walton reported that what he found in the commission meeting notes was that the two furnaces had the same parts replaced two years. He said that after further discussion with Jason Webber, the person who is under contract to take care of heating and cooling equipment for the county, he learned from Webber that there is a single phase and a two phase on those heaters and apparently they were only running on the one phase and that’s why those heat exchangers failed again.

“I don’t fully understand it, but that’s how he explained it to me,” said Walton.

Johnson asked if the county had a service agreement with Webber. 

Hamilton said there is a two-year contract.

“My concern is we have done a two-year contract with Webber,” said Hamilton. “That contract for services is up. We need to go back out for bid, and then I would like a second opinion on the HVAC.”

Walton confirmed that the contract was up at the end of February.

“Regardless though, I think we can still go out for a second bid, right?” asked Hamilton.

“So, let’s go out for bid on that and see what it is going to cost us,” said Hightower. “Figure that out and continue to talk with the fair board. Knowing that this is going to be a Jan. 1 takeover thing. And so we’ll get it fixed and have it ready to go for them to take over.

The commissioners agreed to have the fair board members come in to talk about the 4-H Building.