Jefferson fair park horse stalls approved

By Steve Sharp of the Daily Times staff
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 12:23 PM CST

JEFFERSON - In its ongoing effort to make the Jefferson County Fair Park attractive to exhibitors, the county board of supervisors on Tuesday evening approved the hiring of Lafayette Tent of Lafayette, Ind., to create 42 additional horse stalls at a cost of $31,370.

The board approved the bid and contract from Lafayette Tent after rejecting two challenging bids from General Maintenance and Fabrication of Suamico in the amount of $76,437 and Oilfield Shelters of Wichita, Kan., in the amount of $37,405.

Funds for the purchase, in the amount of $35,000, are included in the 2008 county budget.

According to Jefferson County Administrator Gary Petre, the stalls will be additional ones and do not serve to replace those that were destroyed in a recent fire. The ones destroyed by fire were covered under the county's insurance plan, he said.

The board also made it official that the county will not reimburse anyone for the purchase of alcoholic beverages while serving on juries or in other county functions. In the past, the county finance committee did not approve such reimbursements, but the board members simply made it an official rule that such reimbursements will not take place.

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“Some might wonder why this is coming before the county board,” Watertown Supervisor Ron Buchanan said, “but some members of juries thought we should supply their habit and the finance committee is saying, ‘Nothing doing.'”

The vote to deny reimbursements for alcoholic beverages was unanimous.

Jurors who smoke, however, were accommodated to a limited extent by the board a short time later when they were give their own juror smoking area on the north end of the courthouse, outside.

Recent changes in smoking regulations at the courthouse made it difficult for jurors to smoke on their court breaks.

“This gives jurors a designated smoking area,” Supervisor Rick Kuhlman, of Watertown, said.

It was noted by county officials that the rule allows for bailiffs to watch over jurors while they are on these smoking breaks in order to prevent tainting of the panel.

Board member Augie Lehmann read a resolution concerning a contract to purchase aerial photography for use by the county and this was quickly approved by his colleagues.

Lehmann noted digital aerial photography funded by the land records modernization program has been a valuable tool for mapping, planning, zoning, land and water conservation, parks, public safety and other governmental functions.

“It's unbelievable the changes we've seen in technology in this area over the years,” Lehmann said. “And this is something else. It makes it a lot easier for zoning and the other departments.”

Following Lehmann's recommendation, the board approved the land information department's procurement of Pictometry International Corp. of Rochester, N.Y., to provide new overhead and angled imagery and pictometry software at a cost of $50,894.

The board provided an official salute to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks football team during Tuesday's meeting. The team won the NCAA Division III national championship in late 2007 and the board recognized the team and its coaching staff for their “exceptional preparedness, perseverance, courage and talent.”