Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has announced an investment of nearly $3 million to upgrade a portion of the electrical system at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. The project involves upgrading a portion of the secondary electrical system on the fairgrounds, the above-ground system that supplies power to vendors, campers and other fairgrounds users. B & B Electric, Inc. of Springfield was awarded the electrical portion of the project with a bid of $2,679,200.
A 2008 project worth $3.1 million upgraded the underground primary high-voltage electrical system at the fairgrounds.
"Upgrading the Illinois State Fairground's electrical system is vital to keeping the grounds operational during the annual Illinois State Fair and the hundreds of educational and entertainment events that take place throughout the year,” State Representative Raymond Poe (R-Springfield) said. “Considering the cost we incurred just a few years ago to replace the severely deteriorated underground electrical cables, this is a wise investment to help ensure we keep the lights on at our state's 366 acre facility."
The project is part of Governor Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation.
