Your recent articles about a new convention center have been very interesting. When I was director of sales and marketing at the Red Lion Inn (now the DoubleTree Hotel) in the late 1980s, we booked many small meetings and conventions and considered the possibility of building a large convention hall on the property where Albertsons now stands. Durango has grown and changed since then.
Looking at different solutions recently offered, my suggestion would be to move the La Plata County Fairgrounds and all those activities to Ewing Mesa (which has been proposed). Put the Visitors and Convention Bureau and all convention facilities at the old Fairgrounds on 25th Street and Main Avenue. This location would provide the space needed as well as easy transportation access to bring convention attendees from hotels on North Main as well as downtown properties. With a remodel of the old fairgrounds and the building of a new fairgrounds/equestrian/performance venue on Ewing Mesa, we solve two problems.
One other item we must have for convention business is consistent, reasonably priced air service at our airport. Put all those factors together and “if we build it, they will come.”
Linda Mannix
Durango
