Ky. Fair Seeks Shed Funds

The Kentucky State Fair Board is hoping the third time’s the charm for funding requests, as it once again seeks $46 million from the state to raze Cardinal Stadium and build a new amphitheatre.

“You sometimes have to spend money to make money, and this project will create dollars,” board president Harold Workman told the Courier-Journal. “The stadium is well over 50 years old. It has to come down.”

The board’s plans call for a 6,000-seat shed to be constructed at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, the paper reported, with additional room for 6,000 on the grass. Plans include VIP parking, a concession area, warehouse and office space, and a VIP suite.

Workman noted that if the proposal receives funding, the stadium could be demolished and the shed could be built and operable in time for the 2011 fair.

However, Kentucky officials weren’t necessarily sold on the idea given the current state of the budget.

“This is an excellent project … but in the current economic climate, it will have to be taken into consideration with the other budget requests and needs,” Marcheta Sparrow, secretary of the state’s tourism, arts and heritage cabinet, told the Courier-Journal.

A spokeswoman for the governor agreed, adding that all projects would have to be considered “in light of the difficult budget situation.”