Officials broke ground Monday on an expansion of the Expo Center in Taylor, a small town north of Austin that’s becoming increasingly popular due to a nearby Samsung microchip plant under construction.

The Williamson County Expo Center hosts livestock events, gun shows, rodeos, and other affairs. The 175-by-450-foot Williamson County Expo Center West Arena is a covered structure north of an RV park next to the Expo Center. It’s intended to expand capacity growing audiences as well as accommodate visitors to the RV park.

Amenities in the new facility will include restrooms and showers, covered picnic pavilions, and expanded parking on a gravel lot.

"We have so much growth coming our way, but that's a pretty big building, County Commissioner Russ Boles said. “We're going to have a larger covered pavilion behind me than we have currently existing, and that makes me excited,” Boles said.

The West Arena is expected to cost $10.7 million and take about a year to build. The project is funded through a 2023 voter-approved parks bond.

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors is the projects construction contractor, and Parkhill is serving the architect and engineer.