OPINION: State Fair cost is too risky of an investment

We need to say 'Whoa!' to this runaway State Fair Project!   I'll bet Lincoln and the University don't want us to think about it too long or we might change our mind!  They gave us a pretty short deadline!

What on earth makes us think we have to hurry up and get it done without thinking it through first?  Is it the right thing to do to bring the State Fair here?     I really believe it is not good for Grand Island and we are doing it just because it ``sounds good`` to have the State Fair!   We all remember how neat fairs were when we were young.   But everything is not the same anymore.

First let's t look at our present Fair.   Our Hall County Fair is poorly attended and poorly supported and not a good county fair at all.    It could be so much better at about 1/10 of the cost of moving the State Fair.   

(The rock bands have nothing to do with a County Fair or State Fair.  We can bring in rock bands and get that crowd anytime someone wants to put it together without a big tax burden.  While we are talking about the State Fair or County Fair let's not include the rock entertainment as it is a different customer than the fair crowd.   Actually the rock bands are much better attended than the fairs.) 

 Is anyone asking the first question: Is the State Fair is something worth a huge investment?     Could we not prove whether or not it is viable by making our own County Fair really neat first?

Second, The State Fair did not make it in Lincoln!   It is ludicrous to think it will be better in Grand Island!   How can we possibly project 300,000 State Fair visitors?    If we combine all of Grand Island, all of Kearney, all of Hastings we don't get to 100,000 if everyone came.   How can we project another 200,000 will come from Lincoln.    Come on!    We already have a great Husker Harvest Days and could make our Hall County Fair a lot better with much less effort.

Third, We are already way over spent in Grand Island and taking on another 8. 5 million plus 2.5 million for utilities, police, roads, and so on.   11 million is way conservative!   And the costs will not go away.   What on earth are we doing just saying: ``Oh, yes, we should have that, whether or not we have the money, and whether or not the citizens of Grand Island want it``.    Is this what we teach our kids:  Go get what you want, charge it and figure out if you can pay for it later?   I suppose I should go buy a new car and boat because I want it and then figure out if I can pay for it.    

I really appreciate it that the fast food places support a tax on all their customers to pay for the State Fair.    I would be more impressed if they offered to pay the tax themselves out of profits, rather than asking everyone in town to pay 2% more all year long, so they had a chance at a really big week ``if`` a lot of folks came to town and bought their food.   Remember that the ``out of towners``, if they come, only pay that tax for a week, and if they buy fast food.    The rest of us pay it everyday forever.   Ever hear of a tax being dropped?

There has been some big question if all the vendors from the present State Fair will come to Grand Island.

The vendors will all show up the first year hoping for hundreds of thousands customers.   Will they show up the second year?   The third?   You know the answer.    Look at how many vendors have skipped our own Hall County Fair the last few years.  

If we really want the $8.5 million, we ought to get it from the University of Nebraska and the city of Lincoln!   They want to get rid of the State Fair bad enough so they can use their land better.  You can't blame them for letting it go.   They would probably pay us to take it!   We ought to at least ask them.  

If you agree then pick up the phone and tell your council representative and get this runaway freight train stopped.   Call Margaret, she will listen.   If you don't then just pay a few more dollars in sales tax, property taxes, or whatever it takes, and I will bet three years from today we will wish we spoke up.

Why don't we at least have a public hearing, or is 10 to 15 million dollars just too insignificant to our fine city?



Tony Seitz is a local businessman and lives at
330 Gunbarrel.