Developers say the slowing national economy has forced them to slow down on plans to bring a new arena to Mesa County.

Back in March, local developer Reed Mitchell presented his vision for a 5,000 plus seat Riverside Arena, that would host sporting events, concerts, and rodeos among other things.

After getting the ball rolling early this year, Mitchell says the economy has made it difficult to secure the private funding he thought he would have. He says a lot of people are still very interested in the project and he and his team are actively working to get it done.

He says just this week, one lender expressed interest in funding the facility.

"I'm optimistic," said Mitchell. "If you never quit, you're never beat. So we'll just keep at it and maybe we can make something good happen for Grand Junction and Mesa County."

The proposed site for the arena is on the Jarvis property down on the river.