Wrangle up some seats – County fairgrounds grandstands expected to open after repairs

Fairgoers should be able to grab a seat at the rodeo or concerts during the Northwest Montana Fair in August after an analysis showed the grandstands needing immediate repairs are safe.  

The fairgrounds closed the covered grandstands in May due to safety concerns. Martin/Martin Consulting earlier this month conducted a visual structural assessment of the 16,000-square-foot grandstands and supporting framework, finding the need to make specific repairs to the grandstands before they can open for seating.  

Flathead County has hired Martel Construction to complete two immediate repair items: reinforcing and repairing loose or split bridging on the roof canopy and reinforcement and bracing of the north end wall, which is leaning. The work has an expected completion date in July. The estimated cost of the two repairs is $15,485. 

“Flathead County will work to address maintenance and repair issues identified by Martin/Martin on the detailed timeline suggested in their report,” said Tanath Bradley, county public information officer. “Funding for future repairs has yet to be determined.” 

In addition to the repairs planned in July, the report also pointed out two other areas deemed as an immediate need, but those spots will be closed to the public until repairs are made and won't impede the use of the grandstands for seating.  

An office storage room has failed structurally, according to the report, and should be left unused until rebuilt. The second area is the vomitorium stairs that connect the grandstands with the second floor of the office building below and were found to have deterioration in the boards at the base of the stairs.  

In the report, Dan Griesenauer, project engineer, points out that overall the observable portions of the structure are in fair condition.  

“Although there are no areas that we would consider an immediate life safety concern, we noted areas where repairs and/or maintenance are needed to maintain the integrity and prolong the useful life of the structure,” he said. “We observed areas that we classified as potential hazards and recommend they be addressed as immediate priorities.”  

The report goes on to outline high priority items deemed in need of repair within 12 months. The list includes a number of areas in the grandstands that have rotted and deteriorated boards that need to be replaced.  

It also lists damage to the grandstands canopy framing that needs repairing, along with identifying spongy soil throughout the south half of the grandstands as the result of a groundwater issue.  

Repair items falling into the medium priority of between a year and three years' time and those that need to be addressed beyond the three-year mark include peeling paint, the corrosion of steel elements, and loose nails and missing bolts.  

During the inspection, surface deterioration of the wood elements and the timber columns were examined. An aerial drone equipped with thermal imaging and zoom cameras was used to visually document the conditions of the structure.  

The north bleachers, which had already been scheduled for replacement having shown signs of deterioration, will remain closed until they can be reconstructed.  They are set for demolition later this year.  

Tickets for the PRCA rodeo during the fair are available beginning July 1 at 7 a.m. 

Tickets for the country concert are available on July 1 at 7 a.m. by using the purchasing code announced on Bee Broadcasting radio stations. Tickets for purchase without the code will begin on July 2 at 7 a.m. 

Tickets for the rock concert will be available on July 2 at 7 a.m. with a code announced on KOFI radio stations. Tickets without the code will be available on July 3 at 7 a.m.  

All tickets can be purchased https://www.nwmtfair.com/grandstand-events-and-tickets/. 

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.