Sharon Reistad

Minot

After hearing the verdict from the judge I wanted to say she did her job. According to a friend of mine on the society board the lawsuit was to determine who owns the land the Pioneer Village is on and the judge did just that. She also stated that according to the contract from 1966 two of the building could not be removed.

Having said that, I feel the decision to evict the Pioneer Village falls directly on the shoulders of the State Fair Board and the fair manager.

I do not understand why it is so important for Renae Korslien to have the village removed unless there is an ulterior motive that the board and manager are not telling. Renae is the only one I have heard say she was in favor of moving the village off. This is the ND State fairgrounds. It is governed by a board who, according to the Ward County website, is made up of appointed officials from across the state. So why would these outside board members be interested in removing something that is an asset to the fairgrounds?

I have heard it is because the fair board is considering building a convention center there. How is this beneficial to anyone except Minot? If Minot wants a convention center let them buy land and build one. Putting one on the fairgrounds is not needed and wrong.

The fairgrounds already has the All Seasons Arena that they can’t seem to keep in use except for fair time and Hostfest time. They hold some small events there but otherwise it sits empty along with those brand new grandstands which are only used about 3-4 months out of the year. I believe the state fair board should hold an open meeting, at the state fairgrounds, and face to face justify why they are pushing for the village to be removed.

I urge everyone to contact these board members and request a meeting. If we don’t stand up for the village we will lose it.