A sign with a rendering of the future Pathfinder Pavilion Covered Arena is on display during a groundbreaking event Wednesday at Pathfinder Park. (Carie Canterbury/Daily Record)
Construction of the last phase of the Pathfinder Park build-out project officially is underway.
Fremont County administrators and officials with Corsentino Construction broke ground for the future Pathfinder Pavilion Covered Arena on Wednesday at Pathfinder Regional Park.
This will be the permanent home for the Fremont County Fair. Those who initially provided input on the structure design came up with a “Cadillac version” for the covered arena, but because of the cost, it was scaled down.
Still, it will be much larger than the current outdoor arena, and it will have a classroom and other amenities.
“We know that this doesn’t bear a lot of resemblance to the original concept, but we have consolidated some things together and we think, ultimately, this will serve Fremont County and our citizens much better,” said Fremont County Commissioner Debbie Bell. “This was the only way we could afford to do it.”
The $2.5 million project is funded by cost savings after the refinancing of the 2013 certificates of participation ($1.2 million) and American Rescue Plan Act money.
Fremont County Commissioners award bid for Pathfinder Pavilion Covered Arena
“Part of the reason it is such an expensive venture is because it’s a clear-span building, it has no supports inside of it,” Bell said. “It has to be completely wide open for rodeos.”
The 160-foot by 300-foot covered arena will have an attached 34-foot by 80-foot classroom, which will face north. The classroom portion will have two restrooms, storage and an announcer’s booth for the arena. It will be dedicated mostly to 4-H clubs, but still available to the public.
“I’m really excited for this whole thing because we will be able to have a really great fair out here, plus it’s going to offer a venue for anything anybody wants to have at the county,” Commissioner Dwayne McFall said. “It’s really exciting.”
Commission Chair Kevin Grantham said this project will allow the Fremont County Fair to evolve into something that’s never happened here.
“The space we have here, the buildings we have here now, gives us options that prior county commissioners have never had,” he said. “It will only get better.”
McFall said during the fair, all of the livestock will be housed, shown and sold under the covered arena, which will be fully lit and will have large fans to circulate the air.
“I think it’s exciting,” said Tammy Childs, former interim County Manager. “This is the last step and they are making it happen so quickly. It’s exciting not only for the community but for 4-H and the community as a whole.”
The structure is expected to be complete by the time the Fremont County Fair kicks off, which is slated for July 28 to Aug. 5.
“We are super excited to get this done,” Bell said. “We’ve waited for a very, very long time.”
The facility will be available for rent for any type of gathering. For more information on renting any of the facilities at Pathfinder Regional Park, visit https://pathfinderparkeventcenter.com/, call 719-276-7399 or email pathfinderpark@fremontco.com.