Northern equestrian center discussed at fair board meeting

Montana State University-Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel provided details at the Great Northern Fair Board's monthly meeting Tuesday night on the university's plan to build an equestrian center in town, a project members of the board seemed interested in helping with.

Kegel said the structure, which is still in concept phases, has been in discussion at Northern for nine years, part of a larger effort to establish an equestrian program at the college.

He said that, after doing a comprehensive feasibility study, they determined it was doable and he and his colleagues began talking to other universities with programs like the one they seek to build and eventually determined that they wanted to create a minor based primarily around the study of Western stock horses under their Agricultural Technology Department.

In talking to the student body, he said, they found the program drew interest not just from those involved in the school's rodeos, but from across the entire spectrum of students.

However, Kegel said, this is a program that can't be conducted exclusively in a classroom setting and would necessitate the creation of a new facility.

He said the campus can't accommodate a facility of the size they would need, but they need a place that isn't too far away from campus and thankfully they were offered the perfect spot by the Harmon family, longtime supporters of Northern, who offered them a 42-acre plot of land near Schine Electric.

He said the area is perfect, being just over the hill from campus and right by the fairgrounds, which he thinks could be a valuable partner.

Plans for the building itself are still very much in the conceptual stages, but in researching possibilities for the facility, Kegel said, an interesting opportunity presented itself.

He said he visited the Heart K Ranch in Livingston recently to tour their world-class facility, one of only two of its kind in the western United States, and he was told that the new owners of the ranch intended to tear it down.

Kegel said his was asked if there was any way to effectively move the facility to Havre, a daunting prospect but one they may actually be able to do.

He said he spoke to a company in Billings that said it would be able to move it for $1 million to $1.5 million, and in speaking to people with experience running the facility he was told it was very feasible to operate in Havre, given how close they are to Great Falls and the Canadian border.

He said the facility would be capable of holding events beyond what's needed for Northern proposed program, including horse shows, horse sales, cattle sales, indoor rodeos, garden shows, ag equipment shows and more.

He said the facility and the program it supports would help the college recruit students and retain them as well.

Kegel said this would be an undertaking in the millions of dollars, but the MSU-Northern Foundation and the college as whole is preparing to start up a capital campaign, and the project has already drawn significant community support.

"Everything comes down to money," he said.

Fairgrounds Secretary Anita Stevenson suggested they put up some kind of fund tracker so people can see how much money has been raised and how close the project is to being funded, which she said might get people excited.

Fair board Chair Bob Kaul and board member Ken Erickson in particular showed interest in cooperating with the college and providing what resources they can to help, saying the facility would no doubt be a boon to the fairgrounds given its proximity and utility.

The latter said he was very excited by the idea of this new facility, which would make the community more inviting, allow for more local events and generally make the area better.

"I don't know where we go from here but I know this is a great start," Erickson said.

Kegel said he would keep the board up dated on developments.

Progress on the fairgrounds and the 2022 Fair

While much of Tuesday's meeting was spent discussing Northern's proposed project, the board also discussed recent progress made on the various issues the grounds face.

But before any discussion about that the board introduced its newest member, Casey Tilleman, bringing the board to five members, with two seats still open.

Erickson said during the meeting the schedule for the 2022 Great Northern Fair is all but set, with contracts on almost all the proposed events and completion of entertainers being selected and signed.

"The 2022 fair is pretty much in order," he said.

The fair is set to run from July 13 to 17 with the Junior Rodeo set for Wednesday, NRA Rodeos on Thursday and Friday, a truck pull Saturday and the demolition derby Sunday.

As for the broader future of the grounds, Kaul said the Buildings and Grounds Committee recently met and have started putting together a long-term plan containing all the projects that need to be done and what order to do them in.

He said while a complete prioritization list isn't done, they did determine that their top priority right now is installing new bathrooms on the west end of the grounds.

He said the goal is to have them done by the 2022 fair, but Erickson said its becoming increasingly difficult to find materials, so while they will do everything they can to make sure its done for fair time, circumstances may make that impossible.

Fairgrounds Manager Frank English said he's been working on getting estimates for the project, but he and the board members said they don't have a full estimate for the whole project yet.

However, English said, he did install new illuminated exit signs in the Community Center along with emergency lights and smoke alarms.

He said he will also be speaking with Northern Winz Casino as Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation's tribal council to talk about more cultural events for the fair.

Last year's fair, for the first time in its history, hosted a powwow that was widely regarded and an enormous success, and English, as well as members of the board, have expressed their hope that events like that become a staple of the fair for years to come.

Board Vice Chair Michelle Burchard said the grounds are still looking into getting indoor and outdoor security cameras and a defibrillator, and Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean, who attended as a member of the public, suggested they call Hill County Sheriff Jamie Ross, as his department may have older indoor cameras they'd be willing to part with.

Hill County Extension Agent Kati Purkett also spoke at the meeting and said the only big event 4-H has going on at the fair grounds in the near future is its project day Feb. 27 in the Bigger Better Barn.

Stevenson said a Facebook page has been set up to help keep track of Bigger Better Barn usage, with regular users being able to post the days they're scheduled to use it, giving other members an idea of when the facility is available.

She said the usages still have to be approved by the fairgrounds so the page won't be a free-for-all, but it is a way for individual users to keep up to date.

The next meeting of the board will be March 15.