| Grant money available for fairgrounds but matching funds needed by April 15 |
By: Donna Ryder, Associate Editor
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Posted: Monday, March 8, 2010 9:10 pm
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By DONNA RYDER
Associate Editor
Obion County Fair board president Brenda Baker is putting out an urgent call to everyone in Obion County. Your help is needed desperately and fast.
The Obion County Fair Association has the opportunity to apply for a $50,000 grant to begin the building process to replace the concession stands at the fairgrounds.
The three concession pavilions are original to the fairgrounds. She said they have been patched and repaired to the point they can be patched and repaired no more.
Fairs across the state now have the opportunity to apply for a capital improvements grant up to $50,000. But, here’s the catch: they must have the matching $50,000 in hand, or at least have the commitments in hand, in order to apply for the grant. According to the grant guidelines, preference will be given to “cash match applicants.” The grant deadline is April 15.
Fair board members from across the West Tennessee region learned of the grant on Friday during the Tennessee Association of Fairs meeting for the western region, which was held at the Obion County Fairgrounds. The one-time grant opportunity is being made possible because of unused funds which accumulated when contract budgets were not fully utilized. The funds reverted to the state’s general fund, but the Department of Finance and Administration recognized that these are dedicated funds for Tennessee agriculture.
The grants are being made available through the Capital Development Grant Program, up to $50,000, and the Small Capital Development Grant Program, in amounts between $2,500 and $10,000. The grants are to be used for the establishment of new buildings, facilities or for improvements to existing facilities. Funding is limited in both programs and grant requests are competitive.
“Fairs and fairgrounds provide facilities for use by the city, county and region throughout the year for a variety of agricultural events. We feel these funds will benefit agriculture as well as your county and community in the future,” Joe R. Gaines, assistant commissioner Market Development Division Tennessee Department of Agriculture, said when announcing the grant program.
Mrs. Baker said $100,000 would be an excellent start to a food court that would replace the three aging buildings. She said it would benefit every high school in the county because Obion County Central, South Fulton and Union City sell concessions to raise money for their schools or their booster clubs during the week of the fair. The concession pavilions are also used during Ridgemont Spring Heritage Days and Obion County CornFest, as well as other events throughout the year.
She is encouraging everyone in the county to help with this project — whether it’s a business, organization or individual — and said every dollar counts. Call Mrs. Baker at her home at 536-5442 and pledge your support.
Published in The Messenger 3.8.10
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