LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola previewed plans Monday that would let the Arkansas State Fair expand at its current location by either acquiring land to the east or by connecting to an area to the west with a “promenade” over a new Roosevelt Road bridge.
Stodola is expected to field questions Thursday from the Arkansas Livestock Show Association’s executive board after making a presentation during the group’s regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. He sent letters, dated Wednesday, to board members summarizing his proposals.
Stodola’s proposals are interesting, said Ned Ray Purtle, chairman of the executive board.
“We haven’t heard much from the mayor during this process except very early on,” Purtle said. “This put a little more meat on the bones for us, and I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say.”
Frustrated with aging buildings, cramped quarters and a neighborhood with a high crime rate, the livestock association board put out a call for proposals for new locations in 2009. It has been mulling over plans focused on relocation, including a proposal from the city of Jacksonville.
The association’s request for proposals required that locations have at least 350 usable acres; be within 35 miles of the current fairgrounds on Roosevelt Road; and be visible from an interstate or major four-lane highway.
Little Rock voters approved a sales tax increase in September that included $3 million that would go toward keeping the fair where it has been for the past 60 years. Stodola doesn’t know how that money would fit into the options he has proposed.
“There hasn’t been any dialogue about how that $3 million is going to be spent,” he said. “Obviously, we’d want a commitment from them that they are going to stay and that the money is not going to be spent if they aren’t going to stay there.”
Stodola’s letter presents four scenarios for expanding the fair on Roosevelt Road.
In the first scenario, the city would acquire nearly 52 acres of land east of the fairgrounds. “The [Metropolitan Housing Alliance] is the largest single land owner in this area and has expressed willingness to make the property available,” Stodola said in the letter. “Also, the city has several liens on certain parcels in this area and is prepared to initiate proceedings to acquire title to those properties.”
The association could purchase other parcels, he said, and noted that the association, “through the Arkansas Building Authority, has the ability to acquire real property through eminent domain for expansion purposes.”
“Regardless of your decision, the city is aggressively pursuing the condemnation and demolition of the dilapidated housing ... around the fairgrounds,” Stodola wrote. “Some are in litigation, which should soon be resolved.”
In Proposal 2, Stodola envisions working to connect the current fairgrounds with about 34 acres of land to the west where two railroad tracks merge just north of Wright Avenue. If the tracks merged farther south, the land currently in the “Y” where they merge would be open for the fairgrounds’ use.
“By removing the eastern track and with some land modification, the fairgrounds could expand to the west,” he said. “Most of this land is owned by the city and the state, so acquisition costs would be minimal.”
In Proposal 3, the city would work with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to add a “promenade” to a new Roosevelt Road Bridge that would connect to about 47 acres on the other side of the land in the second proposal. The current 76-year-old bridge spans the train tracks and is to be replaced some time after Oct. 3 when bidding closes for those who might give the historic structure a new home.
“Continuing west of the fairgrounds and east of Woodrow Street, is a large industrial property. This property includes open space, parking and indoor facilities that could be incorporated into the fairgrounds,” Stodola said. “The owner of the property has expressed an interest in making this property available for future uses by the fairgrounds.”
A fourth proposal doesn’t include plans for expansion but envisions a southern entrance to the fairgrounds.
“It may be possible to exit the Interstate off Arch Street and run parallel to the railroad tracks,” he said. “This would provide another access and egress point for fairgrounds visitors. While there are many details to work out and consider, the city is committed to see if this is feasible.”
As an alternative to Proposal 4 and a means of improving visibility of the fairgrounds, Stodola said the city will work with Metroplan, the regional planning authority, and the Highway Department “on developing a new interchange off Interstate 30, which is close in proximity to the southern boundaries of the fairgrounds, thus providing direct access to I-30.
“A new interchange along I-30, between Interstate 530 and 65th Street, will be proposed with a connection north to an improved Battery Street, ultimately connecting to Roosevelt Road.”
In the nearly three-page letter, Stodola also pledges the support of city staff in finding and applying for grant money.
For example, he said, “the city believes that many of the existing buildings at the state fairgrounds qualify for Historic Preservation of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resource Commission dollars.”
In addition to staying in Little Rock, the Livestock Association has considered moving. Jacksonville quickly rose to the top of the list after offering about 450 acres.
At the board’s last meeting, Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher told the group his city couldn’t wait forever for a decision because he had several offers on hold. He vowed that there will be a fairgrounds in Jacksonville even if it’s for a regional event.
North Little Rock briefly eclipsed Jacksonville as a potential location, but the city fell off the list altogether in November with the failure of a tax-increase package that would have included money for luring the fair.
The association’s consultants had focused on an area they refer to as “The Box,” thousands of undeveloped acres in the eastern reaches of central Arkansas. But the board has discussed only Jacksonville, North Little Rock and staying in Little Rock.
Purtle doesn’t expect any decisions any time soon.
“We wanted the whole board to hear and wanted them to have some information before [Stodola] came so they would be prepared to ask any questions,” Purtle said. “Some of those proposals I’d never heard of as a possibility before, so I appreciate the mayor’s attention.
“The one I’m thinking about was moving the railroad track,” he said. “That may or may not be feasible, but it’s another possibility. We’re very interested in it.”
Front Section, Pages 1 on 03/13/2012