Illinois officials have accepted a more than $10 million bid from a contractor to repair the deteriorating Illinois State Fair Coliseum.
Springfield-based R.D. Lawrence Construction Co. was awarded the contract last week. The company hopes to begin construction in the coming weeks.
A large focus of the renovation will be the roof. Funding for the project comes from $30 million the General Assembly allocated last year to repair the state's two fairgrounds.
Inspectors in 2016 concluded that the coliseum was no longer safe after years of neglect, resulting in significant structural deterioration. Part of the three-tiered building dates to 1901.
R.D. Lawrence President John Goetz says the company aims to finish work by July 20 so the coliseum can be reopened for this year's fair.
