By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
WABASH COUNTY, Ind. – For the last several months, the Wabash County Fair Board, along with a local contractor, has been busy remodeling the former Girls’ Building at the Wabash County 4-H Fairgrounds.
The public can get a view of the work, as well as helping the Fair Board raise funds for the project, on Saturday, March 23, during a benefit meal and open house at the building, which will be renamed the Bruce Ingraham Building.
From 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans and chips will be available for a free-will donation.
Money raised will go toward a matching grant provided by Beacon Credit Union, where Ingraham formerly served as president. He also was the longtime Fair Board treasurer.
“This is a project that has been on the books for a few years, and we were able to pull the trigger through donations,” Fair Board President Scott Summers said. “We still have a little ways to go.”
The meal, Summers said, “is to let the people come in and check out the renovations and show everybody what is going on. There’s big improvements we’re trying to make for the 4-Hers.”
He things people will be surprised by the work that is being done.
During the project, the building received a new ceiling and a kitchenette is being installed in the northwest corner of the building.
A wall with pass-through windows on the west side of the building is being removed, opening up that area. A storage area is being built in the southeast portion of the building. In addition, the restrooms are being redone.
The sidewalls are being built out slightly and filled in with insulation before being drywalled. Air conditioning and new furnaces are being installed, and the floor is being leveled and redone.
Jason Randall and Randall Construction is overseeing the work, much of which is being done by Fair Board members to help save on cost.
There is still some work needed before the project is complete.
“We still have the kitchen to get installed,” Summers said. “We’re still painting on the bathrooms right now. We should have those back up and functional by the time of the meal.”
The furnace has been installed, and the air conditioning system will be installed sometime after the meal.
Work on the project began just after the first of the year.
“There’s been a lot of sweat equity involved from board members,” Summers said. “This is a project that is going to benefit the 4-Hers and honor Bruce. He set a good example for several board members in that time frame. He just set the bar. It’s not about us; it’s about the kids and doing the right thing.”