<p>A Johnson County Park arena is getting a facelift, and county officials hope those improvements make the arena a Hoosier destination.</p>
<p>Baker Arena is getting a wall on the south side, which would enclose the arena. The county is getting ready to solicit bids for the work, and estimates put the cost of the project at around $40,000, said Brian Baird, county commissioner.</p>
<p>The bidding process is expected to start later this month, and a meeting is tentatively planned to kick it off, Baird said.</p>
<p>Baker Arena is the site of more than 30 horse shows annually at Johnson County Park, which is located on the southern edge of the county. The added wall would enclose the arena, which would offer more climate control and possibly attract more horse shows to the park, said Megan Bowman, Johnson County Park superintendent.</p>
<p>Curtains had previously enclosed the arena, but those curtains are failing and county leaders learned in meetings with horse enthusiast groups that the move would make the arena more attractive and give it more long-term use, Baird said.</p>
<p>“They felt like what we were adding to it would be a big asset because of horse shows,” he said.</p>
<p>Once the work is complete, the arena will be one of the best in the state for horse shows, Baird said in October.</p>
