time employees to work concessions and other areas during events, with the number increasing to 300 during the fair.“We do have a ton of folks who year in, year out want to be at the fair, so they’re folks that we can rely on,” says Field.“But as a whole, trying to fill some of those part time spots, to keep reliable folks in there that also have the same passion for what we do, that is a challenge.” SELF‑SUSTAINING UPGRADES With the county currently directing most of its funding to public safety initiatives, MetraPark’s capital improvements, including the new outdoor arena, are being funded through ticketing revenue and venue rentals. “We did not have to go to the general fund. We did not have to ask the taxpayers for any of those dollars,” Field remarks. Looking ahead, improvements will need to be made to the arena, including upgrades to the sky boxes, as well as seating and HVAC updates. He recounts,“The reality of it is, 50 years in a building puts a lot of wear and tear, and we’ve tried to keep up on the maintenance of that, but we have some big infrastructure stuff that is going to need to be addressed sooner than later.” He underscores the benefits of the outdoor arena from both a cost and maintenance standpoint.“The HVAC system has to have brand new filters each time that I have an event in here with dirt. We physically have to bring the dirt into the building and then take it back out,” he expands.“The outdoor arena is going to fit a niche that will help us be able to extend the life of our building. From a price point, some of the smaller events, the local horse shows, local equine events, it’s going to be much more compatible for 7 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 06 METRAPARK MONTANA
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