By Becky Killian, Staff Writer
Officials have been asked to spend a portion of the county’s invested funds for a new building at the fairgrounds.
Commissioner Todd Ewen asked for an amount possibly up to $300,000 at the Washington County Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 3.
An engineer estimated that the cost to replace the 4-H building is $1.4 million. That estimate was included in a project proposal submitted to the state through Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority. The project was approved but it requires a local investment. Ewen estimated the county’s matching funds could range from $250,000 to $300,000.
The funds Ewen referred to are invested in a certificate of deposit totaling $1.25 million. Ewen said the county could reinvest the $1 million and use the rest as matching project funds.
“It’s a worthwhile project,” Ewen said. “It’s one that’s going to benefit the community.”
Ewen said the existing 4-H building is in such poor condition that it isn’t salvageable. The proposed plan calls for the demolition of that building and the construction of a new building on the same footprint.
The project would begin after this year’s fair and is expected to be completed in time for the 2026 fair.
Most of the new building’s space will be used as a meeting area and for 4-H exhibits. The remaining portion will be used as office space for the Washington County Purdue Extension Office.
Ewen said the extension office hosts meetings and events throughout the year, and additional space is needed.
The extension office is currently located in the Washington County Government Center located on Martinsburg Road.
Ewen has been a longtime advocate for the extension office and the 4-H program. During the council meeting, Ewen said the 4-H program instills values, including a work ethic, in children that eventually makes them effective members of the county’s workforce.
The council, in keeping with its practice of not making monetary decisions at the same meeting at which the proposal is made, will discuss and possibly decide on the funding during its next regular meeting on Monday, March 3.
In other business, the council approved a new policy it will use when considering tax abatement requests. The policy is meant only to be a guideline, and all tax abatement decisions remain with the council.