Bids received for new livestock building at fairgrounds

A decision on which company will be awarded the contract to construct a new livestock building at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds will likely be made next month, after a final design is agreed upon and the funds raised for the project are collected.

Members of the Fair Building Committee have been working for more than a year to replace the current livestock structure that is in poor condition.

While documentation proves it to be at least 60 years old, its actual age likely precedes that by a decade or two, committee members have said.

Nearly $330,000 has already been collected or pledged for the project, and there are still a few grant applications that are pending, Marty McMillen, a Fair Building Committee member, said at the meeting on Monday.

The two bids received for the construction were close in price – $363,000 and $368,000 – leaving a little more fundraising to go.

McMillen said the bids are in the ballpark of what has been raised.

“I don’t think we’re too far off,” he said.

Troy Cruz, who has been involved in the campaign for a new building, said he’d closely review the bids.

“I want to spend a little time to make sure we have apples-to-apples on both,” he sad.

Depending on the final funds available, there might be a few changes made to the plans, McMillen and Cruz said, such as reducing the number of ceiling fans in the facility or the number of large doors.

County Commission Chairman Darrell Johnson said before a bid can be awarded, the full funds must be in a bank account and available.

“When will you have all the pledged money in?” he asked.

McMillen said most of the funds, excluding a few grants, could likely be collected by the Aug. 17 meeting of the County Commissioners.

Cruz said he and McMillen would review the bids and monitor the funding to determine if any changes to the plans were need.

“And then we’ll communicate those with you,” he told the commissioners.

A motion to table awarding the building contract until Aug. 17 was unanimously passed.