The Chadron City Council Monday night approved 3 community betterment projects funded by more than $127,000 from the city’s LB-840 economic development sales tax.
10% of the revenue from the 9-year old tax is earmarked for such projects, a pool of fundss that currently totals nearly $230,000.
One of the 3 projects would replace the bucking chutes and animal pens on the north side of the Dawes County Fairgrounds outdoor arena and upgrade handicapped access to the arena grandstands.
County Ag Society president Chadd Arner says the $86,000 project will complete an on-going project that saw the arena itself and the announcer’s booth…commonly called the Crow’s Nest…renovated.
Arner says the grandstands have been handicapped accessible from the west for many years with a wooden walkway, but not from the east and with no wheelchair seating.
This project will change that…adding another ramp on the east that will have a vehicle drop-off, removing some front row seats to create wheelchair space, and replacing a deteriorating wooden surface with concrete.
The other two LB-840 projects approved by the council involve Maurice Horse Field…home of the Chadron American Legion and Babe Ruth baseball programs.
One…priced at $20,000…replaces the existing dugouts, which are described as in disrepair and too small to seat entire teams. The other replaces the roof over the old rest rooms, adds a new sound system, upgrades the chain link fence with slats, and expands seating with 2 sections of portable bleachers on a concrete pad.
Chadron Youth Baseball president Rolland Sayer says his group has been working the past couple years to make the field better, safer, and more attractive…which should increase the chances of Chadron hosting state and district tournaments.
Chadron Parks Superintendent Scott Schremmer says the dugout project won’t start until after this summer’s seasons, with crews from the Pine Ridge Job Corps Center to do the block work…which will save about half the cost of the project.
The Chadron council approved another LB-840 project late last year to replace the backstop at the field. Schremmer says that contract was just awarded to Zuver Construction, with work to start this spring.