JEFFERSON — Jefferson County formally dedicated the new swine barn at the fairgrounds Saturday, days after its first guests moved in for the 167th annual county fair.
The barn features wash pens and a full side of roll-up garage doors to provide ventilation, both of which were greatly needed — and appreciated — due to the hot temperatures during the fair’s five-day run.
Roger Kylmanen, fair park supervisor, said that the old building that the new one replaced had been falling apart. The wash rack in particular was in poor shape and the poles were starting to deteriorate, presenting a safety issue.
The new building not only is bigger than the one it replaced — 40-by-120 feet compared to 23-by 120 feet — but it also is flexible enough to serve multiple uses.
“During its last two budget cycles, the county talked about getting the old swine barn wash rack fixed and putting it in the proper spot,” Kylmanen said.
Eventually, county decisionmakers decided to replace the old barn and upgrade so it could be used for more than the five-day fair and the fall Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.
“This new building could be used for horse stalls, too, and in the winter, we plan to rent it out for storage,” Kylmanen said.
The project cost a total of $140,000, including $83,000 for the building itself (utilizing a marketing package that got the county a sizable discount), $22,000 for the concrete, $6,000 for the drainline for the wash rack, $6,000 for site preparation, around $10,000 for electrical work and $10,000 for the lift pump.
Bills for a few elements of the project are still coming in, Kylmanen said, but county officials are happy with how they were able to save about $20,000 compared to initial estimates of the potential pricetag.
The county was able to secure a combination of marketing and sponsorship packages, along with discounted work from a number of the contractors.
“A lot of this was funded through outside sources and cooperative contracts,” Kylmanen said.
The Jefferson County Board approved bids for the project at its March board meeting.
Bos/Cleary Building came in with the low bid to oversee the project as a whole, also providing a sponsorship that lowered the cost of the work.
Jones Dairy Farm signed on as a major sponsor for the project and Compeer Financial provided a $3,000 grant toward the work.
Jason Lyons and Dodge Concrete also provided a marketing package that saved the county money.
“Gallitz has been just a great sponsor and supporter of the fairgrounds,” Kylmanen said. “Every year, they’ve been out here doing some kind of work for us.”
Work on the project began late last year with the demolition of the old building. This spring, work began on the new building, which was substantially completed around July 4, with only final details to complete.
The contractors were all great, Kylmanen said, but the wet spring did prove a challenge, eliminating some potential construction days and putting companies behind as they struggled to complete multiple projects.
One of the last pieces of the puzzle was the installation of new pens in the building — used pens that came from the Wisconsin State Fair.
In addition to Kylmanen, attending the official dedication of the new Jefferson County Fair Park Swine Barn Saturday were Karla Kruizenga of Jones Dairy Farm, the official sponsor for the building; swine representative “Hope,” a reserve champion, and the pig’s handler, Kayla Anfang-Kruizenga, who turned 10 Monday; Mariah Hadler, Jones Dairy Farm; Harman Bos, Cleary Building/Bos Design Builders; Bobbi Jo Clark, Compeer Financial; Denice Jones, Jones Dairy Farm; Philip Jones, president and CEO of Jones Dairy Farm; Libby Knoebel, 2019 “Fairest of the Fair”; Tom Gallitz, of Gallitz Grading, which did the demolition and sewer work; Kathy Steindorf, Fair Park Board citizen appointee; County Supervisor Conor Nelan, Fair Park Board; Amy Listle, Fair Park director; Ed Bielinski, swine co-superintendent; and Neil Matthes, electrician with Duck Creek Engineering, along with Micheala Slind, the Fair Park’s new marketing specialist.
The new building received rave reviews from visitors and swine participants at the fair, who especially liked the new wash pens and the roll-up garage doors on the side that let in the breeze.