Antique Ronan grandstand needs help

Last year’s winds peeled a portion of tin roof from the west covered grandstand at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Ronan. But the damaged roof turned out to not be the only issue with the aging structure, constructed in 1932.

When the Montana Association of Counties insurance adjuster came to look at the roof, county and fairgrounds staff asked him to examine the back wall of the grandstand where it was bulging near the base.

The MACO adjuster said there was indeed a problem. The wall was leaning and he recommended the structure be fenced off so no one could access it.

The grandstand has been gated off since with chain link fencing, according to Dale Ramesar, Lake County facilities maintenance director.

The Lake County Commissioners held a meeting regarding the grandstand last Wednesday, centered on the question of whether the structure is worth resurrecting.

Prior to the meeting, fairgrounds manager Sjaan Vincent had asked contractor Terry Bergh to take a look at the structure. According to Vincent, his assessment was that the grandstand was very solid. Bergh estimated it would be expensive to reproduce, but he thought it could be jacked up and fixed.

There is also an issue with drainage. According to Ramesar, there is a low spot behind the grandstand and three roofs all shed rain to that spot. Before the foundation is fixed, the water needs to be diverted. He suggested an open cell where the water could be collected and then piped underground to an adjacent marsh.

Vincent reported that a drain behind the concession stand sends water to the marsh already.

“If we decide to fix it, we will have to have an engineer,” Commissioner Steve Stanley said. “It would be a start.”

Meeting attendees discussed whether the structure was worth saving, and how much the grandstands were used, especially since usage at the fairgrounds has gone up during the last decade.

“It’s better lumber than you get today,” said Commissioner Bill Barron of the materials used to build the structure.

Cynthi Preston noted that the grandstand is an iconic building. Both Preston and Paul Toussaint are fair board members and believe the grounds will only get busier.

Commissioner Gale Decker, who chaired the meeting, asked if the group’s consensus was to save the building and said he was hearing that the next step was to hire an engineer.

Billie Lee, Lake County’s grant administrator, said engineers were visiting about other fairgrounds projects so she would check with them since the project is not huge.

    The west grandstand at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Ronan needs to be repaired due to a sagging wall on the structure and missing roof pieces that blew off. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)