(ELNORA) – The Daviess County 4H has broken ground on Phase 1 of the expansion project on the current grounds in Elnora.
The big expansion will a food court in the arena, and a new multispecies animal barn.
Demolition of the backside of the Cattle barn started. With a new addition, this building will soon house cattle, sheep, and goats. According to plans, 18-feet will be added to the east side and 60-feet will be added to the south.
A 30-foot extension will be built off the current arena and will become a food court and the current food stand will be demolished.
A secondary show arena, which could be used to help meet the needs of the rapidly growing Dog Club, is also in the works.
The new show arena would replace what is currently the goat, rabbit and poultry barn.
The current exhibit hall will also see an expansion. Plans for a 24-foot by 108-foot addition are in the works. The extra space would move the Mini 4-H projects into the same building as the other 4-H projects.
Parking areas would be created on the north end of the 4-H grounds as well as in what is currently the grassy area situated in front of the swine barn and on the south side of the horse arena.
Retention ponds, upgrades to the swine building and some other improvements are also on the master plan that comes with a price tag of $990,000.
Tara Brower, with the 4H Board, says funding for the first phase for the mega-barn has already been secured. The mega-barn will cost around $170,000 to complete.
Brower says they will be reaching out to businesses and private donors over the next several months for donations to continue this project. The overall project will be completed in around five years.
For more details, follow the expansion on the groups Facebook page.
