Hancock County Fair mired in dairy barn dispute

FINDLAY — Members of the Hancock County Fair Dairy Department had hoped to keep their dispute with the county fair board out of the spotlight this week, but they may be out of time in the fight to stop demolition of their barn. "This week, the spotlight should really be on the kids," said Mike Kryling, of McComb, who represents the dairy exhibitors. However, Kryling said the department was told by board members on Thursday that demolition of the barn is set for Tuesday, one day after the close of this year's fair. He called it another example of "reckless" management of the county's fairgrounds by the current board. The fair board voted 13-6 at its regular board meeting in February to proceed with plans to build a $2.9 million, 21,720-square-foot small animal barn where the dairy barn now stands, and connect it to the fairground's Legacy Building. Four board members were absent. The proposal was submitted by the Clouse Construction Corporation, New Riegel. Kryling said the department learned of the board's decision secondhand in July. "We really had no way of knowing," he said. "The fair board stopped posting its minutes and publishing meeting notices in March." Since early July, Kryling said he has been attempting to get information on the fair board's plans, but has met with constant stonewalling. The board only recently agreed to meet with the dairy exhibitors, with the meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the fairground's Old Mill Stream Centre, 1017 E. Sandusky St. According to information supplied to Kryling from a public records request made to the fair board on July 30, available funding for the barn, as of July 7, includes $400,000 in state funds, $719,737 in bed tax funds and $250,000 from private donations. The records were made available to Kryling on Monday. The fair board voted 12-6 in a special meeting on July 21 to finance the additional money needed for the project, $1.7 million, or $2.2 million with an asphalt option, over 10 years. Five board members were absent. The monthly payments would be $23,875 for the higher loan amount. Then on July 31, the Hancock County Board of Commissioners voted to withhold the board's share of the bed tax, about $74,494 in quarterly revenue, due to problems with its state audit. State audits have found problems with the fair board's financial reporting for years. On Friday, Kryling said the only thing wrong with the dairy barn is its predominant footprint at the fairgrounds. The barn was custom-built for dairy exhibitions in the 1960s, and holds sentimental value for the fair's dairy exhibitors. Kryling showed dairy at the fair. His grandfather exhibited dairy for 80 years. Kryling said it's solid and one of the nicest fair barns for exhibiting dairy in the state of Ohio. He said the cost of any repairs the barn may need would be significantly less than the fair board's plan. "I feel like the current fair board has lost sight of what the whole purpose of the fair (is). The fairgrounds are about the youth and shaping the leaders of tomorrow to be good citizens. It's not about rental income and monster buildings," said Kryling. "What do the kids care about how well they can cashflow a building? Are the fairgrounds being put up as collateral for this loan? "It seems like the board wants to make decisions too fast. What if the plan doesn't go through? The dairy barn will already be torn down." Fair board response Attempts by The Courier to contact Levi Beagle, fair board president, for comment for this story, on both Thursday and Friday, were unsuccessful. Beagle did post a comment to the fair's Facebook page Friday afternoon that addressed the controversy at this year's fair. He wrote: "With thousands of visitors coming through our gates and 26 board members making decisions, it's impossible to please everyone all the time. But I'm proud to say this board has more wins than losses," he said. "We're in the strongest financial position I've seen in my time here, and our fairgrounds continue to grow and improve each year." Beagle has served on the board for 14 years. In the post, he went on to list the following accomplishments by the board: • New and upgraded shower and restroom facilities• New Junior Fair office and 4-H meeting center• Updates to the McComb Food Building• Fans added in the Grange Building and Recker Arena• Expansion of the Buckeye Building, including a brand-new concrete floor. Beagle said the project has been a personal goal as the beef department director. "Change is never easy. Sometimes it means letting go of something familiar to make way for progress. We understand how emotional decisions like the Gospel Pavilion and Dairy Rabbit Building can be," he said. "Please know, our goal is never to leave anyone behind — but to make sure our fairgrounds stay modern, safe and welcoming for generations to come."