FREMONT – Sandusky County Fairgrounds facilities are growing with the construction of a $200,000 set of livestock buildings.
Currently in the midst of construction, there’s a roof, but not yet sides to the building. The pair of buildings are pole barns, intended to work together, with a multipurpose design.
The buildings are located on the north corner of the fairgrounds, between the steer barn and John’s Dream Barn, visible from North Street. They are 170 feet long, by 48 feet wide. The second building, with a 20-foot breezeway between the two buildings, is 70 feet by 40 feet.
Harold Overmyer is the chairman of the building and grounds committee, and a past president of the fair board.
“The Anderson (Arena) building is the actual showroom. We thought it would have to have a breezeway because normally, (the animals) would be out in the weather, maybe it’s been raining or something,” Overmyer said. “It’s in excess of $200,000. Definitely $200,000-plus. We’re still in the process. We’re still collecting money for the barn, and also the pens. We’re still taking donations, for the barn and the pens.”
Overmyer is pleased with the cost, noting since the COVID-19 pandemic many building projects have been having cost overruns on materials.
“Once we gave the green light, the gentleman who is building it locked in the price,” Overmyer said. “The barn is paid for, but there are still some things to go in, additional waterlines, electrical and blacktop.”
Greg Diedrich, vice president of the board, talked about the reason for the new building.
Building will be fair home for whichever livestock it is needed
“For the time-being, this is going to a home for the goats, and provide seasonal storage for after the fair,” Diedrich said.
The two men have worked together for years and easily finish each other’s sentences as they describe the construction and funding process.
Overmyer said people keep calling it a goat barn, but that’s just what it will be first used for, with the aim of having 200 portable goat fixtures. The floor will be stone this year and then asphalt in a year. There are 12-foot-tall doors and 14-foot-ceilings, with the joists remaining open, with an open floorplan."
He said a better description would be a general livestock, noting, "It's a livestock barn, and, right now, goats are our biggest project. We’ve had to move them, basically every year, to bigger areas.”
The increasingly popular goats needed more space.
Horse numbers are down, and a barn will be moved
“This location used to be the draft horse barn. It was old and needed to be replaced. That, and draft horse numbers are down, and not what they used to be, here,” Overmyer said.
With many years of fair work under his belt, he pointed east, from the middle of the new bigger building.
"So now they will be moving that horse barn, over there, along with other light-legged horses," he said. "That one we took down was probably one of the original buildings, which housed racehorses, because this used to be a racehorse track, before they turned it into dirt track auto racing.”
Construction started only a week ago. J & M Carpentry is doing the general contracting. The exterior work is expected to be done in less than two weeks. The fair runs Aug. 19-25..
“I was here on Wednesday, and the boom truck was here setting trusses. By the end of the day, they were set,” Overmyer said referencing July 3. “They move fast, and they do nice work.”
Once the exterior is finished, with steel siding, Overmyer said, the stone and asphalt companies come to do their part.
“It’s really moving,” Diedrich said. “For now, the future is wide open.”
rlapointe@gannett.com
419-332-2674
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Goats will be first tenants in new barn complex at Sandusky County Fairgrounds
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