XENIA — The Greene County Board of Commissioners rejected the one bid received so far for the construction of a new fairgrounds’ exposition center Feb. 1.

Greater Dayton Construction, Ltd. submitted the single bid on Jan. 25 when bids were opened. The bidder estimated a $2.1 million cost but could not guarantee a complete building by Tuesday, May 1 — a requirement set forth by the board and the Agricultural Society. The May 1 date is just weeks ahead of the next Hamvention, Friday-Sunday, May 18-20.

“The timeframe we’re dealing with is just so tight,” Commissioner Bob Glaser said.

The commissioners and the Agricultural Society members entered into an agreement Dec. 19, 2017 to plan the future building’s construction and operation. The 20,000-square-foot expo center is planned to be constructed in the open green space along Fairground Road. The agreement states that if the building can be built for $1.5 million or less, the contract will continue and the structure will be constructed. If it cannot be built for that amount, the contract will terminate.

According to Risk Management Director Lisa Hale, the board plans to open bids for the facility again.

Hamvention, which currently has a three-year contract with the fairgrounds, brought nearly 30,000 people to the county last year.

When the two parties initially entered into the agreement in December 2017, many officials agreed that the future building would not only benefit Hamvention, but also attract other events to the fairgrounds. Glaser voted “no,” stating that he believed it was a premature decision and he didn’t want to gamble with taxpayers’ money.