Former Tyson Site Cleared

Concrete Crushing To Begin On Demolition Project

The slab for the former Tyson Mexican Original building on South Huntsville Road in Fayetteville is set to be cleared as the Fayetteville City Council approved a $435,000 contract for demolition and removal.
The slab for the former Tyson Mexican Original building on South Huntsville Road in Fayetteville is set to be cleared as the Fayetteville City Council approved a $435,000 contract for demolition and removal.

FAYETTEVILLE — The former Tyson Mexican Original factory is down, but the building’s foundation and concrete slab remain.

City Council members on Tuesday approved a $435,000 contract to finish the demolition project at Huntsville and Happy Hollow roads.

At A Glance

Council Action

Fayetteville’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:

• A lease with the University of Arkansas for a paid parking lot at 346 N. West Ave.

• Changes to the parking ordinance, including time limits in loading and unloading zones and a ban on on non-emergency vehicle repairs on streets.

• A rezoning request for about 6.9 acres north of Wedington Drive and west of Rupple Road.

Source: Staff Report

The contract with Arco Excavation & Paving of Springdale will pay to crush the former tortilla and corn chip factory’s foundation and concrete slab and remove debris piles. The contract amount is more than what city officials predicted about six months ago but less than a $475,000 estimate for complete demolition in 2009.

David Jurgens, Fayetteville utilities director, said a significant amount of insulation material was found when the building was torn down, adding to the cost of the project.

The $435,000 expenditure will be offset somewhat by $88,000 the city received from Ar-Rahim Metal Trading, the Dallas company that paid to disassemble and scrap material at the former Tyson plant.

Kum & Go convenience stores also agreed to pay 25 percent for demolition, putting the city’s total cost at about $263,000. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company agreed to buy about 2 acres of the city property for $1.1 million earlier this year. The city purchased the 10-acre Tyson property for $1.1 million in 2005.

Jurgens said Tuesday the purchase eight years ago gave the city right-of-way to realign Huntsville and Happy Hollow roads and prevented the city from having to buy land for a new fire station. About 7 acres are still available for development.

“Financially, this is absolutely a very positive end result,” Jurgens said.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan has said he was less concerned with making money on the land sale than removing an unsightly and potentially dangerous structure.

The city still must split the cost of building a street to a planned fuel station with Kum & Go. The street, as designed, will make the Huntsville and Happy Hollow intersection a four-way stop. It will run south of the Kum & Go store and connect to Ray Avenue and could be extended west if another commercial development is built on the Happy Hollow Road side of the property.

Chris Brown, city engineer, estimated the city’s share of street construction at about $100,000.

A provision in the contract with Arco stipulates crushed concrete must be left on site. Jurgens said the material could be used to build the street or for other construction projects.

City strategic planning staff is working on a plan for the remainder of the former Tyson property. No public meetings have been set, Jurgens said.

The Fayetteville Planning Commission is set to consider development plans for the Kum & Go on Monday. Jurgens said the site should be ready next month.

Also on Tuesday, the City Council approved regulations for door-to-door sales.

Beginning Aug. 2, for-profit businesses will be required to pay $40 each year for a permit and $5 to license each salesperson soliciting door to door. Planning staff must provide “no soliciting” stickers to residents who request them.

Justin Tennant, the Ward 3 alderman who proposed the ordinance change, said his proposal will create a barrier for people trying to come to Fayetteville to scam residents.

Aldermen made exceptions to the permit requirement for children up to their senior year in high school, political candidates, religious organizations and Girl Scouts.

Brian Smith, circulation sales manager with Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, thanked council members for pushing back the end time for door-to-door sales to 9 p.m. A previous version of Tennant’s proposal required salespeople to stop selling at 8 p.m. during summer months and 7 p.m. during the winter.

Northwest Arkansas Newspapers owns the Northwest Arkansas Times, Springdale Morning News, Rogers Morning News and Benton County Daily Record.

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