Prairie Farmer Logo

Beams and pillars declared unsound by engineering firm; Illinois Department of Agriculture closes Coliseum until repairs can be made.

Holly Spangler, Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer

October 19, 2016

3 Min Read
MAXED OUT: Shown here at the 2016 Illinois State Fair Champion Drive, the Coliseum has been condemned after two beams fell and engineers discovered structural deficiencies.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has closed the Coliseum at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, based on structural deficiencies inside the Coliseum as reported by a private engineering firm.

Related: Private coalition creates Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation

Two beams fell or were dislodged two weeks ago, and the engineering study revealed Tuesday that two structural columns had rusted away at their base, along with the anchor bolts, and were merely resting on their concrete foundations, according to fair officials speaking on background.

illinois_state_fairgrounds_coliseum_condemned_2_636124710771484000.jpg

FOUNDATION: During the 2016 Illinois State Fair Ag Day Breakfast, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the formation of the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, whose goal will be to raise private money to make repairs to fairground facilities.

FOUNDATION: During the 2016 Illinois State Fair Ag Day Breakfast, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the formation of the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, whose goal will be to raise private money to make repairs to fairground facilities.

For safety reasons, the department has decided to close the facility until the appropriate repairs can be made.

"This decision is to protect visitors and livestock who use the Coliseum, but highlights the years of neglect by the previous administrations," says Agriculture Director Raymond Poe. "The Band-Aid approach to repairs on our state fairgrounds cannot continue, and underscores why I fought for many years for a fairgrounds foundation as an innovative way to invest in our fairgrounds. The fairgrounds' infrastructure needs significant investment to protect our fairgoers, exhibitors, visitors and employees."

Poe adds that it’s been more than a decade since the Department of Agriculture received a capital budget to fund repairs on the fairgrounds. “For years, only emergency repairs have been funded through the Capital Development Board,” he reports.

Related: This is how we get it done

In the meantime, two events are scheduled in the Coliseum in the near future and will be relocated. The Mid-America Mane Event Horse Show scheduled for this weekend will move to the covered practice arena south of the Coliseum. The ALQMA Quarter Midget Races are scheduled for next weekend, and a new location has not been announced.  

With major renovations needed on the Coliseum roof, fair officials question whether the Coliseum can be repaired and reopened in time for the 2017 Illinois State Fair. Reports indicate that while new shingles were installed during the late '90s or early 2000s, the subroofing was not replaced, causing leaks throughout the structure. Built in 1901, the Coliseum saw its last major remodel in 1958.

"Infrastructure investments are critical to the state fairgrounds and its future success," says Jodi Golden, executive director of the Illinois Capital Development Board. "Our hope is that through the work of the state fair foundation, some of the deferred maintenance issues which have been mounting for dozens of years will be addressed."

IDOA is currently waiting on the final engineering report from the Capital Development Board to determine the extent of damage, best course of action and estimated timeline for closure.

Related: Let’s compare: Illinois and Iowa fairgrounds…and foundations        

Editor’s note: Holly Spangler is a member of the newly formed Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation board of directors.

About the Author(s)

Holly Spangler

Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer, Farm Progress

Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for more than two decades, bringing meaningful production agriculture experience to the magazine’s coverage. She currently serves as editor of Prairie Farmer magazine and Executive Editor for Farm Progress, managing editorial staff at six magazines throughout the eastern Corn Belt. She began her career with Prairie Farmer just before graduating from the University of Illinois in agricultural communications.

An award-winning writer and photographer, Holly is past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association. In 2015, she became only the 10th U.S. agricultural journalist to earn the Writer of Merit designation and is a five-time winner of the top writing award for editorial opinion in U.S. agriculture. She was named an AAEA Master Writer in 2005. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. She currently serves on the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, the U of I Agricultural Communications Advisory committee, and is an advisory board member for the U of I College of ACES Research Station at Monmouth. Her work in agricultural media has been recognized by the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Corn, Illinois Council on Agricultural Education and MidAmerica Croplife Association.

Holly and her husband, John, farm in western Illinois where they raise corn, soybeans and beef cattle on 2,500 acres. Their operation includes 125 head of commercial cows in a cow/calf operation. The family farm includes John’s parents and their three children.

Holly frequently speaks to a variety of groups and organizations, sharing the heart, soul and science of agriculture. She and her husband are active in state and local farm organizations. They serve with their local 4-H and FFA programs, their school district, and are active in their church's youth and music ministries.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like