By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Several events had to be canceled at the Illinois state fairgrounds this spring because of electrical issues. This problem has been costly in both lost revenue and the costs of repair.

There is now a silver lining, though, as Capital Development Board (CDB) Acting Executive Director Jim Riemer Sr. and Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Acting Director Tom Jennings announced that the issue appears to be settled and the fairgrounds is ready for visitors again.

Once the electrical problems were discovered, workers quickly made the task a priority, finishing three weeks before the target completion date of May 16.

Jennings said, “This project certainly has raised awareness about the importance of the state fairgrounds to Springfield and the surrounding area. The fact is, the fairgrounds are used for more than just the Illinois State Fair, and we’re extremely pleased – and more than a little bit relieved – to be able to announce that the fairgrounds are open for business again.

“I cannot express my thanks enough to everyone involved in this project for the hard work that enabled us to finish so far ahead of schedule.”

The repairs were considered a state-funded emergency construction project and required repair of underground electrical lines. The firm of B&B Electric of Springfield began repair and replacement work at the fairgrounds March 13.

B&B had the winning bid out of five competing firms, for $1.86 million. According to the IDOA, workers found collapsed underground concrete and other undiscovered conditions after the project began; this added $277,000 to the cost of repairs.
The project involved replacing approximately 22.7 miles of underground 12,470-volt copper cable that is the main source of electricity for the entire 366-acre fairgrounds.

IDOA also stated that $578,000 was spent earlier to identify the cause of the widespread electrical failures, design a solution and make some initial repairs. HDR Engineering’s high-voltage system experts discovered most of the underground cable was nearing the end of its recommended service life and was experiencing insulation failures at numerous locations.

This discovery was perhaps lifesaving, because HDR determined additional, potentially hazardous, electrical failures along the high-voltage lines were possible and recommended installing new cable and a new grounding system. The $2.71 million total project cost is considerably less than the original estimate of $3 million.
The IDOA announced repair work is complete and power has been restored to all areas of the fairgrounds. Riemer said, “A lot of people went way beyond the call of duty to finish this project ahead of schedule and within budget.

“I’d like to recognize and thank B&B Electric, the members of Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 193, HDR Engineering and staff from CDB and the Department of Agriculture for making the timely completion of this vital project a top priority.”