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Roosevelt County commissioners approve immediate repairs at fairgrounds ahead of late‑March rodeo
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Summary
At a March 11 special meeting, the Roosevelt County Commission voted to remove panels and patch cable fencing at the Special Events Arena, approve water/feed troughs for east‑side pens and table outdoor‑arena chute repairs for the next meeting as staff and community members outlined rodeo needs.
Roosevelt County Commissioners voted March 11 to authorize immediate repairs to the county fairgrounds’ Special Events Arena and to supply water and feed troughs ahead of a rodeo scheduled later this month.
At a special business meeting at the Jake Lopez Building in Portales, Commissioner Paul Grider moved to remove panels along the east fence adjacent to the building and to make necessary patches to the cable fence to hold livestock securely; Commissioner Malin Parker seconded and the motion passed with Commissioners Grider, Tina Dixon and Parker voting yes. The commission also approved a separate motion to procure enough troughs, tubs and hoses to serve pens on the arena’s east side.
The actions followed a walk‑through discussion led by Commissioner Parker about arena setup and logistics. Kam Knight, speaking for event promoters and fairboard users, said the rodeo will include nearly 900 runs over two days and expects about 50 steers and 100 calves on site, and suggested expanding RV parking significantly for large events — estimating 30–50 spaces for some occasions. "We would have nearly 900 runs in two days," Knight said when describing event scale and space needs.
County Manager Meadow Forget asked whether moving the runway out of the building for warm‑ups — an idea raised at a prior meeting — would help operations; Knight replied the east side of the indoor arena would be used for cattle, which would push spectators to the west bleachers and leave only an alley for warm‑ups.
Wayne McAlister urged that any RV or vendor hookups be sited along the west fence, as shown in prior versions of the fairgrounds master plan, and noted that hookups would not be publicly accessible once a carnival is set up. GIS Technician Johnny Montiel stressed that surfaces and gathering areas must meet Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility requirements wherever the public gathers.
Commissioner Grider pressed for year‑round maintenance of facilities and suggested the county provide a pressure washer to clean bleachers and other infrastructure regularly. On the outdoor arena, Commissioner Parker described work needed on rough stock chutes — digging out wind‑blown dirt and debris, repainting and stabilizing the chutes — but moved to table that item and add it to the next meeting’s agenda; the motion to table passed unanimously.
The meeting opened at 9:00 a.m. and adjourned at 9:58 a.m. Clerk Mandi M. Park attested the minutes.