Fence coming to Mower County Fairgrounds

Mower County’s Fairground Fencing Plan

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(ABC 6 News) – There’s over 200 days until the Mower County Fair and one way the county is making sure to be ready is to up its security.

This year, the fairgrounds will look a little different for some. A fence will surround the fairgrounds, but some neighbors, aren’t happy.

The county wants to build a fence in the northwest part of the fairgrounds, but those that share their backyards with the grounds have some concerns.

“I play out there a lot like I’ve been playing out there for the past week like everyday.”

The goal with the fence is to be able to better secure the fairgrounds for emergencies, like a missing child or potential crime.

But this wouldn’t just be for when the fair comes to town.

“There are events here every single weekend from March through September so we would need to secure it 9 to 10 months of the year,” Mower County administrator Trish Harren said.

One of the biggest questions was if people would be able to access the fairgrounds from their backyards, like in years past.

“When I found out they were going to be putting up an additional fence around the fairgrounds, I was concerned that we wouldn’t have as easy of access as we have been having.”

That sparked a new idea, each resident could have a gate, making it easier to access the fairgrounds while also keeping it secure.

“I would be sad if I had to like walk a block over to get into the fairgrounds, instead of just going in my backyard and opening the gate and going in there.”

The county plans to hold another meeting like this to share the finalized design of the fence.

They hope to have it up in the next month.