The year ended with a little good news at the McLeod County Board meeting this past Thursday. Problems were fixed on a county project without the county incurring additional costs.
In September, about a month after the McLeod County Fair, it appeared not all was well with the new Pavilion that had housed numerous events during the festivities. Portions of the ceiling's wood deck had begun to fall off.
“We’re still under contract with Alliance Building Corp., still withholding final payment,” McLeod County Public Works Director John Brunkhorst said at the time. “I don’t anticipate having this cost the county a nickel.”
The county brought in Braun Intertec, which has a division that specializes in building forensics. It found boards started to fall because they weren't fastened well enough by the nails that were used. When the wind blew, pressure built up between the metal roof liner and the wood decking, and the nails didn't have adequate holding power.
"It’s McLeod County, Minnesota. The wind blows here,” Brunkhorst said.
The Pavilion was designed by Widseth Smith Nolting, an architectural firm from Alexandria, and the contractor was Alliance Building Corp. of Sauk Rapids. The project cost roughly $270,000.
This past Thursday, the McLeod County Board approved Alliance Building Corporation's final payment of $9,593 for the project. As Brunkhorst hoped, the county did not pay for additional costs to fix the problem. The Braun Intertec inspection cost was withheld from the final payment to Alliance Building Corporation.
"The repairs are completed," said McLeod County Board Chair Joe Nagel. "The winter months probably aren't conducive to rental, but it will be ready in the spring."
PAVILION PAST
The new Pavilion was constructed over the summer with a design and aesthetic meant to be reminiscent of the previous building, which stood at the McLeod County Fairgrounds since opening in 1993.
The old Pavilion, which was demolished on Feb. 27, was a New Deal-era building that originally served as a sheep barn when the fairgrounds were near 3M.
The sheep barn, along with two other structures, was hauled from the old fairgrounds to the current McLeod County Fairgrounds between Century Avenue and Airport Road. To make the trip, the sheep barn was hauled down Airport Road, which was still under construction, across a bridge, and ultimately to the center of the fairgrounds.
After a few decades of use, the old sheep barn-turned-Pavilion fell victim to structural issues. When the building was put in its new place in 1993, to meet code, metal “shoes” were used to help hold the wood beams in place on the ground. Those metal shoes did not allow the wood to dry out, however, and it began to deteriorate from moisture.
