Youth baseball plans work on fair beer garden fence

A representative of Havre Youth Baseball Association told the Hill County Fair Board Tuesday that the association hopes to move forward this fall with tearing down and rebuilding the fence at the beer garden it runs every year during the Great Northern Fair.

"We'd like to do it this fall, " Kelly Compton of the association said. "Come spring, it's too crazy. That's when our season starts, and we'd like to get it done now. "

Board member Andy Owens said the fair committee handling the beer garden met with the baseball association Monday, and the groups agreed that youth baseball could try tearing down the two fences it is responsible for at the garden and salvaging what it can.

The agreement was that the fair board would be responsible for continuing to maintain the other two fences it takes care of.

The association had suggested at a fair board meeting earlier this year that it would buy and install an aluminum fence, at a fairly significant expense — possibly $6,000 to $20,000.

Compton said they now believe they can make it work as well by salvaging what they can and building and maintaining a wooden fence. She said the association members think all of the poles are shot and need to be replaced, but at least some of the wood now in the fence could be salvaged, sanded, reinstalled and painted.

She said the association members also agreed that it would be their responsibility to maintain the fence and paint it as needed.

She also suggested that the association could install a new gate near the bleachers at the arena, so it could better control entry into the beer gardens.

"I think that would alleviate part of our headache, " Compton said.

Solomon said he liked that idea when he had heard it previously, and the fair can build that installation.

"I can take care of that, " he said.

The other issue the association members would like to see in their contract negotiations is removing their responsibility to do all the cleaning under the bleachers each year. She suggested that all food venders at the fair share in that responsibility, adding that the baseball association is willing to rotate in and clean the area periodically.

Board member Missy Boucher suggested that the requirement could be in the contract for every vendor, so all share the responsibility.

"So it's fair across the board for every one of the food booths, " she said.