Resurfacing likely at Fairgrounds main entrance

Monday, June 20, 2022
A partnership between the Putnam County Highway Department and Putnam County Fair Board should get the Fairgrounds entrance repaved in the near future.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

Contingent upon approval by the Putnam County Fair Board Monday night, a plan is in place to repave the main entrance of the County Fairgrounds.

The question that remains is if the work can be done in time for this year’s Putnam County Fair.

Representing the Fair Board during Monday morning’s Commissioners meeting, members Jim Smith and Jerrod Baugh presented the proposal.

The section in question is the west facing entrance of the Fairgrounds between Harris Hall and the beef barn. During the fair, it is an entrance for foot traffic, though it used for vehicles the rest of the year.

Under the plan, the Fair Board will pay for the material — a total of about $5,500 — to chip and seal the short stretch of roadway, with the County Highway Department providing the equipment and labor to do the job.

Smith, a retired Highway Department employee who once served as highway supervisor, had already met with Clint Maddox of the department to work out some of the details as to how much material would be required.

County Engineer/Highway Supt. Jim Peck said the actual paving would take less than a day, but the question remains of whether the work can be finished enough ahead of the July 22-29 fair that the pavement would be cured and not a mess of tar when fair-goers walk across it.

“As long as we can get time for it to cure out before foot traffic,” Peck said.

With that in mind, it will all come down to a question of when chip and seal crews can get to it between other jobs. If it is soon enough, it will be done in time for the fair. If not, it will have to wait until after this year’s fair.

Peck did say that, should the chip and seal work be delayed, crews would go out and patch some of the worst spots.

There is one particular low spot near Harris Hall that has fallen into disrepair and where water pools badly after a rain.

While Fair Board approval was still needed, Baugh said there had been a “flurry of emails” about the matter, with members overwhelmingly in favor of funding the improvements.

For their part, Commissioners Rick Woodall, Tom Helmer and David Berry gave the plan unanimous approval.

In other business:

• The Fairgrounds work will have to fit into a busy schedule in the coming weeks, as Peck described a full calendar for his employees beginning this week.

Peck reported that crews have started chip and seal work, with milling and double chip and seal work to follow, then paving with hot mix.

He expects all of this work to be done by the end of September.

In the meantime, county officials request motorists beware for the safety of workers on county roads.

Additionally, the county is still waiting on the State of Indiana to approve the contract with Milestone Contractors so that Community Crossings work can proceed.

The Community Crossings grant from the state will pay for $1 million of the $1,616,278.51 worth of paving work approved as part of the grant.

Area motorists are warned that if they come to a spot looking like this on a road in the coming days, to proceed slowly, as there is fresh dust control oil on the gravel roadway.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

• Another highway matter on the docket pertained to dust control.

For a number of years, the county has contracted with Loren Hoopengarner to provide dust control for interested landowners along the county’s gravel roads. The county and the homeowners share the cost.

However, this year has been different, with far more complaints than ever before about the soy-based oil getting on people’s vehicles.

Hoopengarner, who was in attendance Monday, classified this year’s problems as a perfect storm, due to the fact that the road surface was wetter than in previous years when he did the application. This meant the oil did not soak in as quickly.

Regardless of this, he said if people would not hurry when they go through the areas in question, they would have no problems – creeping not only through the newly-oiled surface, but also once they are back on gravel in order for all the oil to come off their tires.

Additionally, Peck noted that the areas with oil applied have warning signs, not only at the edge of the application, but also at the nearest intersections.

Hoopengarner added that the oil has soaked in completely within two days.

“They’re only inconvenienced for two days, whereas the people that are getting the road done, it’s an all-year deal for them,” Hoopengarner said.

The applications had been put on hold, but the Commissioners authorized continuing with them to complete the year.

Additional information from the Monday morning meeting will be printed in an upcoming edition.

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  • I find it interesting that the county plans to donate equipment and labor for this job, yet any time I’ve been at the fairgrounds outside of fair time I’m informed that it’s private property and I have to leave. Seems a lot like having their cake and eating it too.

    -- Posted by techphcy on Thu, Jun 23, 2022, at 4:26 PM
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