Grand Island's Fonner Park will soon be able to expand its uses.

The 400,000 square foot facility was designed with just one event in mind, the Nebraska State Fair.

The buildings were designed for the summer months, and during that time, the buildings see a lot of action. But throughout the winter months, they're unusable because they're not heated.

"In order to recruit events during the January, February, March time frame or maybe December," Grand Island Economic Development Coorporation President Marlan Ferguson says, "you need to be able to have the availability of water and availability of heat in those buildings."

Tuesday, the Community Redevelopment Authority approved Fonner Park officials' request for funding assistance to add heat to the sheep barn.

"This is something that will greatly assist in bringing more things to town," Fonner Park CEO Hugh Miner, Jr. says.

It will bring new shows and events to Grand Island that community leaders say would benefit Fonner Park, the city and the community's businesses.

"That's kind of a slow time for our hotels and motels in the community," Ferguson says.

"The more activity we have going on, the opportunity is much greater for continued economic development," Grand Island Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Renee Seifert says.

Community Redevelopment Authority Director Chad Nabity adds the development will bring business into blighted and substandard areas along South Locust Street, as well as the downtown area.

Nabity says the project will cost about $200,000.

"They've arranged things so that financing on half of it could be handled for up to a year," Nabity says. "The CRA could split that over a couple of fiscal years."

The next phase of the project would add heat to the cattle barn, which would cost an additional $240,000.

The CRA also approved a second set of TIF funds for the Howard Johnson Hotel facade renovation and approved redevelopment area 8 in south-central Grand Island as a blighted area, which makes it available for TIF funding.