GOSHEN COUNTY – Anguish and allegations with plenty of questions filled the county commission meeting concerning the Goshen County Fair grounds.

After depleting the fair grounds OEM Account of $1 million over the years, the commissioners, fair board and fair grounds staff need to reconcile their differences and come to an agreement of what to do. If they do not, the fair and fair grounds could face cuts or closure.

Fair Grounds General Manager Stephanie Lofink came to discuss the financial stability of the Goshen County Fair and Fair Grounds. Pollie Madden, Debbie Beede, Thorpe Thompson and Michael McNamee were in attendance to support manager Lofink in finding solutions for the fair and fair grounds financial predicament. 

Also in attendance was Fair Board member Cody Cox to help in finding the decisions that must be made concerning the fair and fair grounds.

Lofink told commissioners they feel they have completed the request to increase revenue with the budget. 

“Submitting a budget that showed the financial risk should not fall on the shoulders of the fair grounds,” she said. “We ask the commission to split that risk with the fair grounds to some degree.”

Lofink asked the commission to adjust the budget and absorb the 15 percent increase in the utilities and to decrease what was cut from county general fund by 5 percent from last year. 

Lofink said the group believes the Fair Board and the commission are not on the same page. She asked the commission to give the fair grounds until January to come up with other solutions and to subsidies the fair grounds if necessary. If approved, could they allow them to split the time difference with the commission and allow them to get material together to solicit corporate sponsorship.

“Who’s responsibility does the commission feel for the solicitation of funds to subsidize our department? Where does the responsibility lie?” Lofink asked. “Does the commission feel it is the fair boards responsibilities or is it the staffs responsibilities? How does that work from your perspective back on us?”

“I guess what I am trying to say is I can speak, I think, for the board when we feel like we don’t get enough county funding. We understand the trickle-down effect ,but all of our customers don’t,” Lofink said. “So where do we draw the line and what is the procedure to move forward with subsidizing our budget with soliciting corporate funds?”

She questioned if the commission would close the fair grounds. If they cannot get corporate sponsorship would the doors really close?

Pollie Madden, who brings dog shows to the fair grounds, said her biggest concern is if they were fighting a losing battle. The fair grounds are important to her group and to the community of Torrington. The organization would continue to develop more and new events. Does the commission want to close the fair grounds?

Debbie Beede also questioned if the commission under stood the impact closing the fair grounds would have on the city. 

“Between team ropings, barrel racing, college rodeos, dog show, whatever is going on in the Pavilion attracts people from many different states,” Beede said. “Staying at the motels, buying food and shopping on Main Street, they will see a real decline in the revenue.”  

“There is a misconception of what is actually happening here,” Commissioner John Ellis said. “The fact is the commissioners are not the head of this and we are not pushing to close this up.

“We have tried every way we could and the board knows from talking,” he said. “And I have said we will do everything that is possible to keep this going. We are very aware how important this is to the community and the town. But it comes to the point that we only have so much money.” 

Commissioner Carl Rupp agreed: “We don”t like to micro manage. Do we want to close it? No.

Do you think we want to have ‘Commissioners close fair’ in the newspapers?”

As the debate continued, the county commissioners told the group that, if it were at all possible to give the fair grounds money to operate, they would do so. The commissioners told the group the county has little money and the people want their roads fixed and if they had the money to support the fair grounds they would have the money to employ more people to maintain the roads.

It was agreed is the groups need to come together and discuss how to solve these problems and grow the events at the fair grounds.

In other business:

n Goshen County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Wes Deen told the commissioners the county detention center still was making some money. Housing other inmates from Scottsbluff County and the Department of Correction.

DOC brought four inmates to the detention center, but three told a deputy they did not like the housing situation. Goshen County Sheriff informed DOC and the inmates were sent back to medium security prison.

Lieutenant Deen said it takes time to process the inmates and asked the DOC when did it become policy for inmates to pick where they were held. 

“Wasting time to book these people in is one thing,” Deen said. “But, as a citizen, I find it absurd that our tax dollars are being used to transport them somewhere else because they don’t like the housing.”

Lieutenant Deen said he has called DOC to come pickup an inmate because they are causing trouble. 

n Goshen County Clerk Cynthia Kenyon reported primary election turn out of  67.1 percent was a record for the County.