LETTER: No state fair in Grand Island

With the down turn of the economy and grain prices, the idea of moving the State Fair to Grand Island should be abandoned. Before things went south, it would have been a stretch to make it work; now I fear it would be next to impossible to make it work. The keno money was supposed to go for roads, now it is ear marked for the Fair. It's interesting how people line up for the farmer's tax dollar, but take money from the from the Roads Department budget for the Fair. The floods of this spring have damaged many rural roads and bridges. Shouldn't those providing the tax dollars be taken care of?

There are those on the board who want to do away with the Roads Department and contract all the work to Warner Construction. I guess it helps to have friends in high places. Anyone successful in business knows it's more cost efficient to do work yourself than hire every job done, as a farmer that would be impossible.

When the Fair was in Lincoln, it was a treat to go there, as there are stores and restaurants that aren't in Grand Island. So what's the draw for those in Lincoln and Omaha? Pigs and cows, I doubt it, they have more stores and restaurants, as well as better concerts than we have. Especially with the high gas prices, why would people come from Lincoln and Omaha? We don't have enough hotel rooms, plus Skagway on South Locust would be in jeopardy. Do we want to do that to a business that has been so good to the community for so many years?

In other states, the State Fair is subsidized by state government, as they know the towns can't support it on their own. Maybe we could get donations from the businesses that are buying up that ground in the ordnance plant that the county took from farmers that was supposed to go for fair market value, which has been a secret thus far. Oh that's right, there are not businesses waiting to get in there, another folly for the tax payer that should have been earning taxes, not costing them.

If we could afford the fair, that would be fine, but not at the expense of the Roads Department and our infrastructure, if nothing else it's a safety issue that our roads and bridges aren't maintained. Lastly here is a point no one has mentioned, are we hurting ourselves by taking a large agriculture influence away from the Lincoln and Omaha area? The less influence they have from agriculture, the less important they will feel it is. The voting majority is there along with the majority of state senators who make the laws that affect us all. So don't be surprised when the next time we go through a dry spell and farmers will be forced to let crops dry up, while those in Lincoln and Omaha are watering their lawns forgetting that agriculture is responsible for the economy we now enjoy. At least we will have a sparsely attended State Fair to go to.

Mike Dobesh

Wood River