Vote on new $127,000 electronic sign for Chemung County Fairgrounds

CHEMUNG COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) – The Chemung County Legislature will vote on approving $127,000 to build a new electronic sign for the County Fairgrounds on Monday night. The sign will display messages about the fair and other County events.

The Legislature says the $127,000 price tag was the lowest bid received by the County from Elmira Structures . Public records show the next highest bidder was Edger Enterprises at $138,000.

You can view the resolution and all documents submitted for the sign here.

If approved by the full legislature, the sign will paid for with federal tax dollars from the Covid-19 American Rescue Plan. Plans show it will be visible in both directions on Grand Central Avenue. It will stand on a base 9 feet off the ground. The sign itself will be nine feet wide and six feet tall.

In a Legislative Committee meeting held on June 24th, County Legislator Michael Smith raised some concerns about authorizing the funds for the sign.

“I’m very concerned about spending $127,000 on the fairgrounds,” Smith said. “I think we were all given the tour there a couple of years ago by the members of the group that’s running the fair, and I think they universally heard from us that we wanted to see a business plan.”

“I think it’s appropriate that there’d be a business plan and financials,” Smith continued. “Then we have some notion of their projections and what they’re doing with the money that is being given them, because they’ve received money from the root tax I believe, the Agricultural Society. Last year, I believe they got the money to pay for their band at the fair. We seem to keep throwing money at this thing, but I think we have yet to see anything. We have to have a business plan and I think it’s time that we did before we spend $127,000. I’m saying I’d like to know what’s cooking up there.”

“I’ve never seen any financials from the fair, how they’re doing,” Smith added. “They continually ask for money and it seems that any other organization that comes in here looking, for years we’ve asked to see financials, and I’m quite sure that the County Executive’s office has asked for those kinds of things when people have come in looking for money. So, I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary that we should ask for this. I’d like to suggest that we table that until we see some kind of information related to how they are progressing there with a marketing plan and financial information,” Smith concluded.

County Executive Chris Moss was in the legislative committee meeting and replied to Smith’s concerns.

“I think it’s also important to note to remember the Agricultural Society has control of the fairgrounds for 14 days a year,” Moss said. “I agree wholeheartedly that they have mismanaged funds. That I can assure you that my budgeting officer is working on it. Kevin Adams is working on it. They’re trying to turn the ship around.”

“The issue was they have a Chemung County Horse Society, which was really running rampant and they had no tax ID number. They didn’t have any of the paperwork. They were running everything through the books of the Agricultural Society. So, they are trying to turn it around. They’re doing a good job. It’s gonna take some time, but I agree. When you look at their books, I wouldn’t want to be audited, but they’re working at it slowly, but surely,” Moss added.

“This sign has nothing to do with the Agricultural Society. Remember, it’s a County complex we have to take care of. Although they do have free reign of it 14 days a year. The concert last year and so forth, they do they do get some organizational funding to help with Ag Society programs.” Moss continued.

“But I mean, they’re good folks. Unfortunately, sometimes they don’t have folks on the board know the numbers and so forth. They promised us to get QuickBooks four years ago. Never got it, never worked out. I mean, we’re still working on the agreement to pay back some of the funding and that’s 120 they owe us. We figured that on the low end. So, there’s been some financial mismanagement for whatever reason, and I’d like to think we’re on top of it. But I mean, it’s the Ag Society. It’s not really our responsibility, you know, to audit their books. We got enough of our own stuff to do, but I agree before we give them any money there are a ton of questions to ask just like you indicated.”

The legislative Buildings & Grounds committee then advanced the resolution to a full vote on Monday night.

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