A local pastor's vision to revive Southwest, Colorado's Western Heritage has launched plans for a multipurpose arena in Bayfield. You are watching the local News Network brought to you by Sirius, Texas Barbecue in San Juan Regional Medical Center. I am Sadie Smith Bay Field's. Pine Valley Heritage Arena entered its first phase of fundraising and infrastructure planning. The plans include an indoor arena with seating for around 2000 spectators, a conference center with meeting rooms and outdoor features like camping spaces and walking trails. Pine Valley Church Senior Pastor Scott Eth leads the project that will create a space for community engagement and a legacy of Western culture.

It's actually a vision that I really felt like God gave me a number of years ago and when he first gave it to me, it is just a really got a picture of a indoor rodeo arena and the, the words that I felt like gave me was redeeming our heritage. And I am not a cowboy. And so I kind of chuckled and didn't do much with it. And about 10 years ago, we were able to purchase all the ranch land that's adjacent to us here when the developer went bankrupt on it. And then I felt like that whole dream got dropped back into my, into my heart

Expects larger events like rodeos and conventions to cover the facility maintenance costs so that the space can be accessible and affordable for local youth programs like four H riding clubs and equine therapy.

Really the main purpose behind the whole thing is, is for kids. It's how do we, how do we redeem this heritage, this, you know, the whole Durango. I was born and raised in Durango and Durango's sold as a cowboy town and almost most things cowboy and, and heritage of that heritage in Durangos kind of get pushed out little by little. And so how do we, how do we see that heritage get passed from a generation to the next generation?

Other than concerns about increased traffic, Aku has received an overall positive response from the Bayfield community

Because they see the need, like a need for, for our kids. You know, you got to, you have a rodeo team that has, has kids from Bayfield, Durango, and Ignacio, and a need for them to have a home court, you know, would be kind of a cool thing. A place to practice, a place to, for our four H kids to have shows to, to be able to, to put on these different things that, that we could be, we could invest in our kids in these ways where they could be the best in the state.

The goal is to construct the arena debt-free primarily through private funding and local partners. Though it is in partnership with Pine Valley Church, pine Valley Heritage Arena is its own nonprofit with separate funding will seek zoning approval from the town of Bayfield and financial support to build the complex.

We'll be doing fundraising and at the same time trying to, trying to knock off all those practical steps and being ready when we get the right money that we're ready to put tractors in the dirt.

Kuya envisions the Pine Valley Heritage Arena as an economic stimulus for the region. He says the new arena will not compete with Durango Fairgrounds, which is booked year round, but will serve as an additional space with a community focus.

There's a actually a, a bible verse that, a promise that God gave me out of, out of the scripture. It's out of Joel three 18 and this paraphrase, but it says, out of the house of the Lord, he's going to water the valley. And that's just a great picture that from, from this project, that we could become a part of helping water this entire, the entire valley. Whether you believe the same as us, you don't believe the same as us, but that we could actually be a blessing to anyone and everyone, and that that's really the hard behind it.

For more details about the Pine Valley Heritage Arena, visit pv.com. For more information about this and other stories, visit Durango Local News. Thank you for watching this edition of The Local News Network. I'm Sadie Smith.