By the Numbers
$135,991 — Money approved by the Clark County commissioners to upgrade horse stables at the fairgrounds.
$185,991 — Total money raised by the Clark County Fairgrounds for the new pavilion project.
$11 million — Taxes generated from tourism in Clark County
Top tourism destinations in Clark County
- Clark County Fairgrounds and Champions Center (antique shows, cars and parts shows, the Fair, horse shows)
- Buck Creek State Park
- Museums (Westcott House, Heritage Center, Springfield Museum of Art)
- Fairs and festivals (Summer Arts Festival, Fair at New Boston, Holiday in the City)
- Outdoor recreation (bike trails, whitewater)
The Clark County Fairgrounds — the top tourism driver in Clark County — plans to spend about $185,000 to make safety improvements and convert two old horse stables into pavilions that could host a variety of events.
The project includes updating the wiring and infrastructure of two horse stables built in 1975, said Dean Blair, executive director of the fairgrounds.
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“They really haven’t had much done to them since then,” he said. “The first and foremost thing this money does is eliminate a safety issue. We really have a situation where these barns are in desperate need of making them safe.”
Clark County commissioners approved last week spending about $136,000 for their general fund and the fairgrounds have raised the remaining $49,000 from various organizations.
Clark County Commissioner John Detrick said the fairgrounds are vital to tourism in the area. The money is a good investment, he said, because it will allow the grounds to host even more events that will translate into more tourism dollars.
“We need to bring (the stables) up to standards and make it a safe place,” Detrick said. “The money spent will come back to us.”
The overall complex — including the Clark County Fairgrounds and the Champions Center — is the No. 1 overall tourism driver in Clark County, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Chris Schutte said. He estimated it generates up to 50 percent of the annual tourism dollars in Clark County.
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“Any improvements like that are absolutely great for us,” Schutte said. “It’s a prime location.”
The renovations will be a big improvement, Blair said.
“They will be redone, strong and safe,” he said. “They will not have electrical problems. They will not be subject of high winds or storms. They will have brand new roofs.”
The plans call for renovating the stables so that they look like new, Blair said.
The project also calls for changing the stables, which currently are capable of housing one-horse-per-stall, into pavilions that can host many different types of events. To make that happen, they also need to figure out how to use temporary horse stalls when they’re needed for shows.
“We can’t just tear the stalls down and not have a place for horses,” he said.
The added flexibility to the fairgrounds would benefit Clark County, he said.
“You can have an antique tractor show, a car show,” Blair said. “You can have a flea market in it. You can cattle show in it. You can do many, many things. No longer will they be for a single use.”
The new plans come on the heels of the Champion Center at the fairgrounds also getting a more than $100,000 grant to upgrade its heating system in the equestrian center.
“The reason for the grant is the heating system is inefficient and ineffective in the winter months,” Blair said. “This will allow them to have tourism and shows year around instead of eight months out of the year.”
Blair said the Champion Center is a close partner with the fairgrounds, and together the two groups work hard to bring as many events and shows as possible to Clark County.
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