Franklin County Fair Board shows off convention center renovations

The Franklin County Convention Center showed off its new renovations with an open house event on Saturday, March 20.

Four years ago, the Franklin County Fair Board announced their plans for a $1.2 million series of building improvements to the convention center. After years of fundraising and preparations, the renovation project finally got underway last November.

Now that work has come to fruition as the newly remodeled convention center officially opens back up for events.

"It feels really good," said Franklin County Fair Board President Jon Baltes. "We've spent a lot of hours up here designing."

To celebrate their grand re-opening, the fair board hosted an open house, inviting the community to see all the work that has been done to the building over the winter.

On the exterior, the building has been lined with a canopy, including a car port for people to drop off visitors without worrying about weather. Exterior lights have also been installed around the building to improve nighttime visibility and security.

"That's the first thing you'll notice," said Baltes.

Inside, the entryway has been remodeled with new walls and flooring. The ticket counter has been opened up, giving more space for staff to work and an exterior window has also been added to the office, allowing people to pick up tickets without having to enter the building.

Going into the main room, a new wall has been installed to dedicate some extra space for kitchen staff to bring out food and tables without being in view of the larger area. The ceiling has been lowered with new lighting while the walls and ceiling sport new trim.

Out of sight, but not out of earshot, a new sound system allows guests to control which areas of the room get the most volume, allowing partygoers to enjoy music upfront while people can still converse in the back.

Wall mounted screens are also available to facilitate visual presentations during events.

On the south side of the main hall, a new bar area has been built next to the kitchen and additional storage space has been added to keep chairs, tables, and equipment.

While the convention center is mostly done, there are still some odds and ends to finish up. The fair board is still looking to raise a final $50,000 to cover the remaining expenses.

There are also some improvements that had to be saved for later in order to keep the project close to the target budget. Initially it was planned to have dividers installed in the main hall, which would allow it to be broken up into separate smaller rooms. While the building could support this addition in the future, that will have to be an improvement for another project.

Likewise, plans for a paved parking lot proved too costly to move forward with.

Nevertheless, this is the most substantial renovation done to the convention center in decades.

"I think we're ready for the next 40 years now," said Alan Brown, board member and co-chair of the fundraising committee.

Brown's favorite new addition to the building is the second meeting room, which has been expanded from the old bar area. Equipped with a viewing screen of its own, the smaller room can be used for smaller gatherings or as a preparation area in conjunction with main hall events.

"I see so many possibilities for it," said Brown.

People will have plenty of opportunities to see the new improvements for themselves as the convention center already has a tightly packed schedule of events lined up for 2021.

"I think it's pretty much booked for the whole summer," said Baltes.

After a summer of pandemic related shutdown and a winter of construction, the fair board is eager for the community to see what their donations have supported over the last four years.

"We're really super thankful for all the people that supported us," said Baltes.