A second arena has opened at the Mesa County Fairgounds in Grand Junction.

Meanwhile, another county facility in downtown Grand Junction has been sold.

The new arena offers nearly 36,000 square feet of covered space as well as a show office, restrooms and 22 parking spaces for recreational vehicles. The arena was constructed at a cost of nearly
$2.4 million.

“This arena will draw bigger and more horse shows,” said Mesa County Fairgrounds Manager Jo Carole Haxel. “The old covered arena has been booked with a waiting list every season. The new one will allow us to accommodate larger shows, which draw people to the community for more days. It’s a really good thing.”

The Mesa County Commissioners voted to sell a building at 750 Main St. and parking lot at 803 Rood Ave. for $1 million to Rocky Mountain Service Employment Redevelopment. The sale is expected to close in April.

Mesa County has owned the building since the mid-1980s and used it for administrative and public works offices until December 2011. At that time, the public works offices as well as the Mesa County Clerk’s Offices moved into a renovated central services building located at
200 S. Spruce St.

Rocky Mountain Service Redevelopment programs include Head Start, Migrant Head Start, Migrant Farmworkers and community services.