KENDALL COUNTY, Texas – Just hours before the Kendall County Fair returns, a City of Boerne official told KSAT that a permit is expected to be signed to allow public access on the rebuilt bleachers where last year’s collapse left one dead and 11 injured.
A City of Boerne official said that the Kendall County Fair Association applied for the necessary permits to rebuild the platform that partially collapsed, which it didn’t do last year. The city’s chief building officer is expected to sign off on the paperwork Thursday, a day before the fair opens, the official told KSAT.
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An investigation into the collapse determined that the fair association lacked proper permits when the incident happened on Aug. 31, 2024, killing 79-year-old Vera Smith six days later.
After the collapse, the City of Boerne said none of the required city-issued building permits had been applied for, meaning the bleachers were not inspected.
Records obtained by KSAT Investigates showed that inspectors conducted a general inspection of the fairgrounds on Aug. 30, 2024.
Following a walkthrough, an inspection report said no violations were found at the county’s fair grounds. However, Boerne officials stated that the walkthrough did not include an inspection of any structures.
Months later, the City of Boerne said in a news release that a structural engineer had been hired to determine the cause of the collapse.
The structural engineer said, “The collapse of a portion of the upper bleacher structure platform was due to the insufficient ledger-to-pipe post connection.”
The failure of one connection of the bleacher caused other areas to collapse due to increased pressure, the engineer said.
Boerne officials said the bleachers were an old structure that had been salvaged. Welding work was being done on the bleachers leading up to the day before the rodeo, officials stated.
More coverage of this story on KSAT