Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Gogebic County receives grant for fair expo building repairs

By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Ironwood — A $30,000 project to repair the exposition building on the Gogebic County Fairgrounds is in the works.

The county has qualified for a $15,000 Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development grant that would require a $15,000 local match.

The county board authorized the fair board to apply for the grant last November and at meeting in February, the board learned the county qualified for the grant.

The grant would be used to replace 86 windows and some doorways in the expo building.

For the $15,000 local match, the board discussed using so-called 2 percent money from the Lac Vieux Desert tribe’s gaming proceeds or advancing the money from the county’s Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund.

The grant program runs from March 1 through Dec. 31.

According to the minutes of a Feb. 18 meeting, the county board agreed to accept the funds and meet the local match, but did not specifically indicate where the local match will be derived.

A second motion was made on Feb. 18 by the board that any contractor hired to do the work on the grant project provide the county administrator’s office with proof of liability and worker’s compensation insurance before any work would begin.