By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
EL RENO – Candidates are needed to fill seats for the next three-year term on the Canadian County Free Fair Board.
Canadian County Commissioners, at their first meeting of 2021, approved a resolution filing a notice for an annual fair board election.
Three seats are expiring on the county fair board. The election is set Saturday, Feb. 13.
“We have nine fair board members and one-third are up for election each year when their terms expire,” District 3 Canadian County Commissioner Jack Stewart explained.
Filing period will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25 through Friday, Jan. 29 at the Canadian County Clerk’s Office, 201 N Choctaw.
Only Canadian County residents who live in the district he or she wishes to represent are eligible to file.
Canadian County Fair Board members are elected to serve three-year terms. The board is comprised of three members from each county commissioner district.
Contested county fair board elections are infrequent, District 1 County Commissioner Marc Hader noted.
“We rarely have others run for this,” Hader said. “It’s usually the same guys serving.”
Canadian County Fair Board members are Kelly Beck of Yukon, Dan Wedman of Calumet, Clint Reuter of El Reno, Michael Beard of Calumet, Justin Atkinson of El Reno, Ken Carpenter of Mustang, Phil Carson of Yukon, Brent Hunt of El Reno, and Mike Crowly of Calumet. Secretary is Brad Tipton of Oklahoma City.
For contested races, the election will be 2 p.m. Feb. 13:
• District 1 – Canadian County Fairgrounds Education Building, 220 N Country Club Road in El Reno.
• District 2 – Mustang Town Center, 1201 N Mustang Road in Mustang.
• District 3 – Canadian County Farm Bureau, 2020 Sunset Drive in El Reno.
‘REALLY GOOD FACILITY BUILT’
In a related item, county commissioners at their Jan. 4th meeting said they were pleased with progress at the Canadian County Fairgrounds and Expo Center construction project.
“We’re getting a really good facility built,” Commissioner Hader said.
The $15.2 million fairgrounds’ complex, being built on a 50-acre site at Jensen and Alfadale roads near El Reno, is due to open this August for the 67th annual Canadian County Free Fair.
Construction manager is Lingo Construction.
“Lingo is doing a fantastic job,” Commissioner Stewart said. “We’re moving along.”
Commissioners this week approved the latest draw requests from their loan with BancFirst for the expo center construction project – $527,197 to Lingo for monthly services and $2,277 to Metco for monthly soil testing.
In other business at their weekly meeting, Canadian County Commissioners approved:
• Appointing Stewart as board chairman and Dave Anderson as vice chairman for 2021. “I’m glad to get into a new year,” Stewart said.
• Awarding a $9,145.84 quote to Ezell’s Refrigeration to install a new HVAC (heating, venting and air conditioning) system at the Canadian County Health Department’s Yukon office. CCHD administrative assistant Steve Wheeler said part of the office “has been without heat” for about a month.
• A $36,295 change order for Canadian County’s cost match for an Okarche Main Street road project in District 1.
• Paying $3,750 to Smith Roberts Land Services for right-of-way services on a Waterloo Road project in District 1.
Meanwhile, Canadian County Undersheriff Kevin Ward presented the weekly jail report showing 186 inmates “in-house” and 16 in other counties totaling 202.
