LITTLE ROCK — Sixteen proposals for new Arkansas State Fair locations were opened Tuesday, with six of the sites located near the Interstate 40/Interstate 440 interchange and four others west on I-40.
However, any details beyond the location and the amount of acreage available will remain a mystery until an engineering firm reviews the proposals.
Basil Shoptaw, a civil engineer with Thomas Engineering Co. in North Little Rock, said he plans to have an executive summary of all the proposals available forthe Arkansas Livestock Show Association to review by the time this year's fair ends on Oct. 18.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola has made it clear that he wants to keep the fair on its 100-acre site south of Roosevelt Road.
The association's request for proposals required that locations have at least 350 usable acres with land available for future expansion and be located within 35 miles of the existing fairgrounds. It also said the site must be visible from an interstate or major four-lane highway.
The proposals, with theiracreage and location, are:
Rector Phillips Morse - one site of 424 acres south of U.S. 70 just off Interstate 440, a second site of 172 acres south of U.S. 70 along Arkansas 391 and a third site of 461 acres across U.S. 70 from the other two.
City of Carlisle - 1,280 to 2,000 acres near Interstate 40.
Buyer's Realty - 350 acres at I-40 and Arkansas 89 in Lonoke County.
City of Little Rock - Renovate the existing fair site.
McKimmey & Associates - 1,200 acres at Kerr Road and Interstate 40 at Scott in Lonoke County.
Roger Tucker (real estate agent) - 870 acres at I-440 and U.S. 70.
City of Jacksonville - 424 acres at the southeast corner of Wooten Road and I-440.
City of Conway - 455 acres off Oak Street/U.S. 64.
ArkBest Realty - 827 acres on the north side of I-40, abutting property submitted in Jacksonville's proposal.
Saline County - one sitewith about 2,045 acres off Interstate 530 about 15 miles outside Little Rock, a second site off Exit 106 of Interstate 30, a third of about 350 acres off Arkansas 111 near Alexander and a fourth site that includes part of the old airport.
Arnett Realty - 445 acres on the north side of 145th Street and I-530.
Arnett Realty (for the city of Cabot) - 410 acres at U.S. 67/167 and Arkansas 89.
Dean Elliott - 600 acres on both sides of I-40 at the north end of I-430.
Todd Rice - 501 acres on the north side of I-40 at the I-440 interchange.
John Hathaway of The Hathaway Group - 418 acres east of I-440 at the I-440 interchange.
Crye-Leike Realty - 356 acres on I-40 between North Little Rock and Maumelle.
Shoptaw said the firm's job will be to assess the cost of developing the proposed sites and advise the Livestock Show Association accordingly.
Based on his preliminary assessment, there may already be some front-runners.
"Of course location is very important. The fair, as I knowthey are, is looking to expand their activities into more of a year-round site, so Interstate 40 looks pretty good as far as exposure and traffic and central location and those kinds of issues," he said. "I'm going to say we're going to lean heavily on location and try to get the acres we need."
Answering a question about leaving the fair where it is, Shoptaw said, "I don't think it'd be more appealing to be smaller. The average size of a state fair is about 360 acres."
Ralph Shoptaw, general manager for the State Fair, said incentives offered by cities or property owners will also be factors the executive committee of the Livestock Show Association considers. He said it is unclear whether any of the proposals include incentive packages.
"I maintain from the start we've never said we're going to move the fairgrounds," Ralph Shoptaw said. "Our major problem is we don't have enough room. Eventually what we're going to have to do is determine if it's feasible, if we can raise the funds to renovate and enlarge what we have or move. We still have todetermine if we can fund it. There's still a lot to do."
In Little Rock's bid, Stodola said he would seek funds to build a new interchange on Interstate 30 to route traffic across the Fourche Creek Bottoms and to the south end of the fairgrounds.
Last year, Jim McKenzie with Metroplan, the regional planning agency, said construction of the proposed interchange was possible, but he estimated that it would cost nearly $45 million, a figure that does not include buying rights of way.
Ralph Shoptaw said any decisions are still a long way off.
"Even if we started today, I would be looking at two to five years," he said.
Arkansas State Fair site proposals
The Arkansas Livestock Show Association has received 16
proposals as the group considers relocating the State Fair. The
sealed proposals were opened Tuesday by Thomas Engineering Co.
in North Little Rock. Basil Shoptaw, an engineer with the firm, said
precise locations will be made available once he has reviewed the
proposals more thoroughly.
1. Rector, Phillips Morse: three tracts, one 424-acre tract south of U.S. 70 just off Interstate 440; one 172-acre tract south of U.S. 70 along Arkansas 391; and one 461-acre site across U.S. 70 from the other two.
2. City of Carlisle: 1,280 - 2,000 acres near I-40.
3. Buyer's Realty: 350 acres at I-40 and Arkansas 89.
4. City of Little Rock: Renovate current site.
5. McKimmey & Associates: 1,200 acres at Kerr Road and Interstate 40 in Lonoke County.
6. Roger Tucker (real estate agent): 870 acres at I-440 and U.S 70.
7. City of Jacksonville: 424 acres at the southeast corner of Wooten Road and I-440.
8. City of Conway: 455 acres off Oak Street/U.S. 64.
9. ArkBest Realty: 827 acres on north side of I-40, abutting property
submitted in Jacksonville proposal.
10. Saline County: Four sites. One
with about 2,045 acres off Interstate
530 about 15 miles outside of Little
Rock, a smaller site off Exit 106 of
Interstate 30, about 350 acres off
Arkansas 111 near Alexander and an
area that includes part of the old
airport.
11. Arnett Realty: 445 acres on
north side of 145th Street and I-530.
12. Arnett Realty (for city of Cabot):
410 acres at U.S. 67/167 and
Arkansas 89.
13. Dean Elliott: 600 acres on both
sides of I-40 at north end of I-430.
14. Todd Rice: 501 acres north side
of I-40 at I-440 interchange.
15. John Hathaway of The Hathaway
Group: 418 acres east of I-440 at
I-440 interchange.
16. Crye-Leike Realty: 356 acres on
I-40 between North Little Rock and
Maumelle.
SOURCE: Thomas Engineering Co. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Front Section, Pages 1, 12 on 09/23/2009