County, state dollars help fairground improvements

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors confirmed $23,000 had been allocated to the Jefferson County Fair Board in the next fiscal year during an annual report and late budget request this morning.

?We appreciate all the support that we continue to get from the county, as well as the money we continue to get from the state,? Jefferson County Fair Board Treasurer Jared Schultz said. He told the board all of those dollars go into the fair board?s capital improvement fund.

The fair board?s immediate and long-range plans include an addition to the Activity Building for storage; a new driveway accessing the parking pad north of the Iowa State University Extension Office; demolition of the block building and construction of a new structure to accommodate the large number of open class entries; and campground improvements.

?Last year was a better year compared to the prior year,? Schultz said of the fair. ?We did go to a free front gate for last year?s fair. We saw people we probably wouldn?t have seen.?

The overall attendance was higher, carnival and food vendors made more money and all of the planned events and activities, except the tractor pull, took place, Schultz noted.

?As far as sponsorships, we still continue to push that,? Schultz said. ?This is the fifth year with our current sponsorship program.

?We continue to get $15,000 plus, which has really helped improve the quality of the fair itself,? he said. ?We?ve been purchasing better wood chips for some of the livestock barns. We?ve added some additional safety items, better gates and higher quality products.?

The 2011 fair budget was breakeven, with fair receipts totaling $64,861 and fair expenses totaling $63,799. Non-fair receipts totaled $87,965 and non-fair expenses totaled $48,323.

?You are a large asset to the county,? supervisor Dick Reed said, commending the fair board volunteers on their year-round efforts.

Supervisor Lee Dimmitt thanked Schultz for the fair board?s work with the Babe Ruth ball fields.

?Frankly, you saved it out there,? he said.

In other business, the board approved its annual resolution requiring the destruction of noxious weeds. Jefferson County requires property owners to have cut, burned or destroyed leafy spurge, perennial peppergrass, sour dock, smooth dock, sheep sorrel, Canada thistle, Russian knapweed, buckhorn plantain, wild mustard, multiflora rose, teasel, perennial sow thistle, buckthorn, quackgrass, purple loosestrife and poison hemlock by May 15; and field bindweed, wild carrots, wild sunflower, cocklebur, bull thistle, musk thistle, water hemp, horsenettle, puncturevine, velvetleaf and shattercane by June 15.

Anyone who has not removed these weeds may be contacted by weed commissioner Dan Miller, who will request their destruction. If the landowner does not follow through, the matter is forwarded to the county attorney, who issues a letter.

If the landowner still does not respond, Miller has the power to hire a third party to remove the weeds at the landowner?s expense.

Miller makes note of noxious weeds he observes while en route through Jefferson County. He also responds to complaints received.

Rural resident Bob Palm suggested landowners with noxious weeds should pay a fee for the weed commissioner to inspect and ensure the weeds have been removed.

Supervisor Steve Burgmeier said a fee would likely require an ordinance, but assistant county attorney Pat McAvan could be consulted.

The board also agreed to let the county act is the fiscal agent for a grant being sought to conduct a mass casualty disaster drill.

Craig Steward, paramedic specialist and training officer with Jefferson County Area Ambulance, said the grant, if received, would replace the $5,500 the county approved as support funding in February.

Steward said the planned drill has attracted the attention of other schools interested in observing and modeling their own drills after Fairfield?s. Steward said some states are beginning to pass legislation making lockdown drills an annual requirement at schools.