Boulevard in line for upgrade

By SCOTT WEISSER
scott.weisser@goshennews.com

June 12, 2009 10:34 am

— Part of the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds has seen better days.
“Rotary Boulevard is in desperate need of being upgraded,” said Fair President Gale Gerber at Wednesday’s county Fair Board meeting.
And that upgrade won’t be cheap.
A committee of Fair Board and Rotary Club members has been set up as part of a fund-raising effort. The fund drive has been extended from Rotary Clubs and members to the Fair Board and the overall community.
The revitalization project is set to begin this fall at an estimated cost of close to $230,000. The purchase of engraved pavers, benches and boulders will be a major source of income for the upgrade.
Rotary Boulevard is a high-traffic fair thoroughfare that connects the grandstand stage with food row and the midway. The improvements proposed include:
• Installing a Rotary “cog” in pavers at the Maple Street intersection.
• Widening the walkways on each side of the boulevard.
• Improving drainage with a new storm sewer system.
• Planting native flowers and grasses and installing irrigation.
• Installing weather-proof benches.
• Installing decorative boulders for additional seating.
• Installing electric service and adding decorative lighting.
Officers elected
In other business, Fair Board members elected a slate of officers for 2010.
Ted Sautter will be the president, Renee Troyer Campbell will be the president-elect and Jack Lengacher Jr. will be vice president. Lengacher, who represents the Wakarusa Chamber of Commerce on the Fair Board, will move “through the chairs” of the executive committee and serve as president in 2012. Sautter will lead the fair next year, and Troyer Campbell will be president in 2011.
Stan Knafel and Randy Sharkey were elected to two-year terms as at-large members on the fair’s executive board. Knafel is in charge of the Members in Training program. Sharkey MCs grandstand events and provides helicopter rides at the fair.
Brent Carrick will be the new fair treasurer, effective Oct. 1. He will replace Larry Struble.
Colts to visit
Indianapolis Colts players and cheerleaders will visit the fair July 21 as part of the sports franchise’s “Make It Personal Tour.” The Colts will be at the fair from 4 to 6 p.m. that day, and the Colts in Motion traveling museum will be showcased.
For more information about the event, visit the Web site www.colts.com/events.
The fair runs from July 17 to 25.