GALLATIN COUNTY FAIR BOARD
MAY 19, 2009 MINUTES
(As approved at the June 16, 2009 meeting.)
ATTENDANCE:
Fair Board Members Present: Bob Brekke - Chairman, Chris Budeski, Dennis Farnham, Linda Warner,
Chuck Busta, Jeff Wade
Absent Fair Board Members: Misty Radue
County Commissioner: Joe Skinner
4H: Nancy Chesterfield and Sandy Bryant
Staff: Sue Shockley, Manager and Debbie Holwegner, Administrative Asst.
Guests: Corbond Corporation – Geoffrey Stephenson; Greenway Indoor Range – Ken Bruwelheide;
American Legion Baseball – Ron Edwards
Public: Sonja Berg
CALL TO ORDER: Bob called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT: None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Dennis Farnham moved to approve the April 21, 2009 Fair Board minutes as presented. Chuck Busta seconded. Unanimous for. None against. Motion carried.
COUNTY COMMISSION UPDATE: Joe Skinner stated Sue would be managing the sewer/water project and would be submitting the bills to Larry Watson for payment. Sue said she had emailed Larry and was waiting for his reply. Chris Budeski said that HKM were waiting for their signed contract. Sue said it was signed on April 21, 2009.
FAIRGROUNDS FOUNDATION UPDATE: Bob reported the Foundation approved spending for a new hood and reconditioned range for the outdoor arena concessions. This project should be ready for use for the high school rodeo.
4H UPDATE: Nancy Chesterfield and Sami Bryant, representing 4H were at the meeting to discuss their livestock buyers coming in on Saturday for the livestock sale and having to purchase Fair admission when they just come to the sale. They feel they’re losing buyers because the buyers have to pay a daily Fair admission. They have approximately 350 buyers with some of these being proxy buyers.
In the past, special livestock buyer tickets were supplied by the Fairgrounds for the 4H Livestock kids to purchase and distribute to their buyers. There was no guarantee that their buyers would attend, leaving the 4H kids to still pay for these admissions whether they came to the sale or not. Linda suggested putting an admission coupon in the announcements the kids send out. There was some discussion of possibly closing the Oak gate in the morning so the buyers wouldn’t have to pay admission. The consensus of the Fair Board was they wouldn’t charge the buyers and would work out the details. Sue will put this on the agenda for next month’s meeting.
GUEST PRESENTATIONS:
A. CORBOND - Performance Insulation System: Geoffrey Stephenson is on the Gallatin County Energy Board and a representative for Corbond Insulation. Corbond is manufactured in Belgrade and is a polyurethane spray-in-place foam insulation that’s very effective in the insulating of homes and commercial buildings. This product would qualify for energy stimulus packages. Most paybacks are over a 7 to 10 year period but there are some variables. Sue stated we really need insulation in the indoor arena and we already have a couple of bids on this. Jeff offered his services to look at the buildings on the Fairgrounds to determine if Corbond could work.
B. BOZEMAN BASEBALL – Notice of Default: Ron Edwards was present and representing the American Legion Baseball and is currently on their Board. Bozeman Baseball received notice they were in default on their lease of the baseball field because the game schedule had not been previously approved by the Fair Board and as part of their lease, no games may be scheduled during the Gallatin County Fair without permission from the Fair Board. In checking their schedules, several games were scheduled during the Fair. AA games are scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. and Friday, July 17 at 5 p.m. The Spikes have three games scheduled on Saturday, July 18 beginning at 1 p.m.
Ron stated their organization is run by volunteers. Scheduling begins in December with the AA teams. He has received complaints from business owners that there are not enough games scheduled in July. He would like to keep the currently scheduled games and dates during Fair and work with the Fairgrounds to get their audience to come over to the Fair because the dates are hard to reschedule. He is willing to notify teams ahead of time that there will be a parking fee and is also willing to work out some type of marketing plan to help the Fair.
Chris mentioned that the games during Fair impact our already limited parking. Bob stated that on Saturday, the baseball people stay and watch the Mudbogs. Dennis commented that the baseball people took up a lot of space by parking incorrectly. Jeff stated this could have been alleviated if discussion had taken place earlier in the year like the Baseball lease contract requires. Ron said he could talk to the coach but the AA games would be very hard to change. Ron said the coach checks emails and can be contacted at herospark@yahoo.com however he is the main
contact. Dennis invited Ron to attend the parking meeting scheduled for June 9, 2009 at 5p.m.
There was discussion as to when the games may be changed to. It was stated to make sure we don’t have this conflict in the future. Chris Budeski moved to allow baseball for this year with the stipulation they do not have games on Saturday and their Sunday games start before noon and American Legion provides adult assistance with parking during their games. Dennis Farnham seconded. Unanimous for. None against. Motion carried.
DECISION ITEMS
A. Baseball Request: Already covered.
B. When will the Fair Board paint the numbers on the bleachers and grandstand: Sue stated she was getting metal paint and stencils. Seats are 18” apart and there are 2,000 seats plus the portable bleachers that needed numbers painted on them for seating. Different colors would be used for different sections. Linda Warner would get the top row done. The Fair Board will meet at the outdoor arena grandstand on Wednesday, May 27 at 6p.m. and will paint until dark. Chris Budeski said he would email the Blitz Soccer group to help paint and work off their debt.
C.Adopt new Mission Statement: Linda said the Policy Committee had come up with their recommendation for the new mission statement as follows, “To provide an enjoyable, safe, year-round, multi-use public facility emphasizing opportunities in entertainment, education, agriculture and recreation that enhances partnerships in building a stronger community.” Chris Budeski moved to adopt this for the new Mission Statement. Dennis Farnham seconded. Unanimous for. None against. Motion carried. Joe Skinner suggested presenting the new Mission Statement to the Commissioners. Sue said she would have the presentation put on the Commissioners agenda.
D. Recommendation from Policy Committee to begin the process of asking for a dedicated mill levy for the Fairgrounds: Joe Skinner said that because the jail bond issue is past, it may be a better opportunity to go to the public getting approval for a dedicated mill levy for the Fairgrounds. Joe said the Fair Board needed to look into this right away as it takes a lot of time and planning. Joe suggested we need to convince the Commissioners on the idea of a dedicated mill levy for the Fairgrounds and then go to the voters to get it passed by having it on the 2010 ballot. Convincing the voters will be the hardest of all as this will raise their taxes. Linda Warner moved to start investigating putting together a mill levy
for the Fairgrounds. Chuck Busta seconded. Unanimous for. None against. Motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. BAHA Update: No report.
B. Greenway Range Update: Ken Bruwelheide with the Greenway Shooting Range gave a short presentation to update the Fair Board on the range. Ken talked about the history of the range, rules, memberships, current range schedule and recent improvements. The Fair Board accepted an invitation from Ken to have their next meeting in their classroom and take a tour of the facility.
C. 2009 Fair and Bozeman Roundup: Sue reported the Fair is coming together and entertainment is booked. The Bozeman Lions Club will be doing food and beer at the Bozeman Roundup. Foundation is doing the Calcutta for the Roundup Rodeo and also helping with the VIP area. We are still desperately in need of coordinators for arts and crafts, foods and needlework.
D. Contract Committee (BAHA): Jeff reported Sue and him met with the County Attorney to discuss the BAHA contract. There are still some questions that need to be addressed with BAHA. We are moving forward with this contract in a positive way.
E. Policy/By Laws Committee: Jeff reported the committee is working on restructuring Fairgrounds policies and procedures; and cutting down on the number of committees and meetings. The goal is to eliminate some of the existing committees and hopefully have recommendations to the Fair Board by mid-December. Earl Mathers has been facilitating these meetings.
F. Parking Committee: Dennis Farnham reported a meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27 at 5 p.m. to look at the West Annex and try to develop a parking plan for the trucks and trailers.
G. Capital Improvements Committee: Chris will contact Clink Litle with HKM to check on the contract status.
H. Pricing Committee: No report.
I. Grounds Safety Committee: Dennis reported a meeting is scheduled on May 26 at 6:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn. This committee will discuss alcohol, security and first aid for the Fair.
J. Volunteers Committee: Sue reported the committee is meeting on a regular basis and are looking for new ways to recruit volunteers.
K. Marketing Committee: Jeff reported the Fairgrounds very first news letter went out. Jaime has done a great job with sponsors and is putting together her plan for future annual marketing. Jaime put together a TV commercial with KBZK. Sue stated Jaime set up pages for Face Book and My Space on the internet.
L. 2010 WinterFest Committee: Next meeting is May 21 at 5:30 p.m.
CORRESPONDENCE: None.
MANAGER’S REPORT: Sue sent out email updates throughout the month.
FINANCIAL REPORT: No report. Sue will put this on next month’s agenda for approval.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. Concession Stand Update: Already covered last month.
B. 2009 Legislative Issues: Sue stated we are waiting to hear if the Fairgrounds will receive the stimulus money for the restrooms.
C. Clarification on Fair Board Members’ Responsibilities: Tabled.
D. County Audit Review: Sue said she is still waiting for the recommendations from the Auditor.
E. Charge for Parking: Dennis reported the group met last week. We will probably have seven organizations on board to do the parking. Questions to be discussed include: Do we charge for all events or just major events? How do we charge for a bus of people? How do we distinguish who pays and who doesn’t? Which events do we charge for parking? Bob stated this committee will need to have a recommendation for the Fair Board. Bob suggested starting with just the Fair and WinterFest. Jeff suggested having VIP parking and charge more money.
F. Personnel: Nothing to report.
G. RFP for Alcohol Vendor: Sue said it was decided to leave this up to the Policy Committee.
H. Fairgrounds Business Plan: No report.
I. Fairgrounds General Lease Agreement: Tabled until after the Policy Committee reviews.
J. Policy on Fair Board Member Meeting Attendance: Tabled.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: None.
ADJOURNMENT: Dennis moved to adjourn this meeting at 7:50 p.m. Chuck Busta seconded. Unanimous for. None against. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted:
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