×

Dickinson fair still in limbo

FROM LEFT, AYLA GRAILER, Haylee Kelley and Zada McClaren, all of Norway, ride the Scrambler at the Skerbeck Carnival on Thursday evening at the Dickinson County Fair. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A decision on whether the Dickinson County Fair will take place likely will be made in July, the fair board chairman said Tuesday.

“We haven’t decided what we’re going to do yet,” Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. told the county board.

The outcome may hinge on whether the Upper Peninsula State Fair is staged as scheduled in Escanaba on Aug. 17-23, he said. The Dickinson County Fair is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, beginning Thursday, Sept. 3.

To host a gathering of 250 or more people, it’s recommended that communities be free of any new COVID-19 infections for 30 days, Degenaer said. Attendance at last year’s fair was estimated at a record 50,000 to 60,000, spread across all hours of the five-day event and in some cases including repeat visitors.

Although the Norway fairgrounds are closed, the Dickinson County Racing Association hopes to have events this summer.

HANS WAUGEN OF Valley Mechanical of Norway installs a fitting and checks the pitch on a new sewer line while working last week at the Iron Mountain Senior Center near Crystal Lake. All the rotting cast iron lines in the center are being replaced. The project is nearing completion and it’s believed it will solve an ongoing problem of sewage backflows at the center, according to Dickinson County Controller Brian Bousley. A new lift station was also installed last year. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

The Norway Speedway reopening likely will depend on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order and further discussions with the fair board. “It’s just going to be a matter of when and under what restrictions,” the DCRA Board of Directors has stated.

The status of racing wasn’t discussed during Tuesday’s county board meeting, conducted by teleconference.

In other action, the board:

— Heard Controller Brian Bousley report that replacement of a drain line at the Iron Mountain Senior Center should end an ongoing problem of sewage backflows. The county-funded work by Valley Mechanical of Norway comes after the center and county had spent about $100,000 in 2019 on a new lift station and other repairs. During the project, the Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency is using the Iron Mountain North Elementary School kitchen for its Meals on Wheels program.

Chairman Henry Wender said the county should give up ownership of the Iron Mountain center, offering it first to the site’s senior council, and then to DICSA. The county is spending too much on repairs, he said.

Wender asked that a proposal to surrender the center be placed on the board’s June 8 agenda.

— Voted 4-1 to rescind a travel ban that had been in effect for county employees. The COVID-19 policy had required employees to self-quarantine for 14 days after any travel beyond a 100-mile radius.

“I think our employees will use good judgment,” said Bousley, who noted court employees will abide by directions from the State Court Administrative Office.

Degenaer voted no. “Is that the right move to make at this time?” he said. “It’s still here,” he said of the coronavirus.

“If people need to travel, they can travel,” Commissioner Barbara Kramer said.

The travel ban can be reinstated if needed, Bousley said. The county will continue to follow its COVID-19 preparedness and response plan, he added.

— Adopted a five-year recreation plan, effective through 2024. If grant funds can be secured, the county hopes to build a new main bathroom and shower facility at Lake Antoine; add a pavilion at the Fumee Lake Natural Area; and restore the historic Twin Falls Bridge on the Menominee River for use by non-motorized vehicles.

Some elements of the plan are in progress at Lake Antoine, including electrical upgrades for the campgrounds, replacement of the boat launch, and new playground equipment. A $3.6 million Pine Mountain ski jump upgrade begun this month is also included, along with a $96,000 electrical upgrade accomplished at the fairgrounds in Norway.

Commissioner Joe Stevens thanked the Dickinson County Planning Commission for its help in drafting the document.

— Heard Stevens report the Lake Antoine campgrounds are on track to reopen June 22. The official reopening for day use at Lake Antoine Park is Friday, although Bousley noted the park had never been declared closed. A snow fence erected by the county to discourage using the playground was removed by someone over the holiday weekend, he said. Signs will be placed to provide directions for social distancing and other safeguards, he said.

— Reminded residents and visitors that Kramer Drive, at the top of Pine Mountain, is off limits to all traffic and pedestrians because of the ski jump construction. The Pine Mountain stairs will be gated due to liability risks. There will be no public access to the Upper Peninsula Veterans Memorial.

— Noted Thursday’s scheduled meeting of the Dickinson County Planning Commission has been canceled.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today