Storm shelter, culvert route possible for Fair

(Photo by Russ Mitchell) Area leaders are looking into the possibility of culvert "safe rooms" under the street that divides the main parking area of the fairgrounds and the north entrances. [Order this photo]

Emergency management officials may have an unexpected option for shelter space at the Clay County Fair.

Ted Kourousis, executive director of Northwest Iowa Planning and Development is working with Iowa Department of Homeland Security about the potential of creating shelter space, under West 18th Street, for the fairgrounds.

"Basically, we're looking at developing a couple of different storm shelters facilities going underneath West 18th Street that would run, basically, from the north fairgrounds, where the parking lot area is, and running then into the fair," he said. "These culverts, basically, would serve two purposes: They would serve as a safe means for people to get from the parking area to the fair and then also would serve as storm shelters during inclement weather and tornados specifically."

Kourousis continued: "The federal government has some money available for cities and counties to apply for to develop these facilities and we figured this is the best way to go about killing two birds with one stone, so to speak, with this project."

The Clay County Board of Supervisors received an update about the early discussions during the board's Tuesday meeting. Since the street is a city street, the culvert-shelter proposal is expected to take a more prominent place on Spencer City Council agendas.

With city approval, Kourousis will proceed with a notice of intent to the Iowa Department of Homeland Security. The request would then be forwarded to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of a grant application process.

"They either approve the notice of intent and we go then to a full application or they don't approve the notice of intent and that would stop the project, basically, from a grant perspective at that time," Kourousis said.

The two proposed shelters would be capable of holding 500-600 people in an emergency situation. In the meantime, fairgoers have other places to go, according to Clay County Emergency Management Director Eric Tigges.

"There are pre-designated spots, but on big fair days, there are a lot of people there, so the more shelters we would have and the more, different spaces we would have, the better."

The Clay County Regional Events Center has some designated storm shelter spaces. Safe room designs have been implemented into other fair buildings as well, Tigges said.

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The Clay County Board of Supervisors passed the 2009-10 county budget following a public hearing that ended without controversy Tuesday morning. County departments were instructed to keep operating budgets in check. All elected officials, appointed department heads, and non-union employee wages were to be paid at the current budget year's rate.

Look for additional coverage in Thursday's edition of The Daily Reporter.