PINE BLUFF -- A proposal by Pine Bluff-based Simmons First National Bank to help revitalize the city has been slowed by scheduling conflicts and a need for further research, Simmons President George Makris said.
In March, Simmons executives met with city leaders to talk about a partnership aimed at sparking city growth and turning around decades of decay and population loss. The bank proposed using a series of loans and other funds for that purpose.
Makris said the proposal has evolved since then and continues to change, adding that the city and bank officials will have to meet again to go over things.
He said the bank wants to get the City Council's full approval before proceeding.
"We are still working on our final proposal to the city," Makris said. "We have done a lot of talking and reading about similar programs, and we are not trying to reinvent the wheel. We want to learn from others, and we are getting some good feedback."
Simmons executives had been scheduled to meet with aldermen and Mayor Debe Hollingsworth in May, but the meeting fell through at the last minute because of scheduling problems.
Hollingsworth's office confirmed that a meeting is scheduled to discuss the bank's plan early this month, though Makris didn't say whether Simmons representatives would attend. The mayor deferred comment on the Simmons plan until after the meeting.
After Simmons' initial announcement, the mayor said city officials were "excited, hopeful and overjoyed" by the news. "This is something Pine Bluff desperately needs, and we cannot thank Simmons enough for wanting to help this city," Hollingsworth said.
The core of Simmons' initial proposal was spending $2 million to redevelop downtown; establishing a pool of $2 million for low-interest, owner-occupied home improvement loans; using $5 million for nonowner-occupied, low-interest improvement loans; using $5 million for owner-occupied, commercial property low-interest improvement loans; and establishing a downtown planning group.
Simmons also proposed funding a complete redevelopment plan for downtown.
A list of requirements that must be met by the city was included in the plan. Among them were beefed-up code enforcement and more stringent building inspections.
The city must "agree to participate in a Simmons-funded study of city codes to produce an analysis and recommendations which, if implemented, will result in effective laws to facilitate swift identification and enforcement action for all real property in the city of Pine Bluff," according to the initial proposal.
The bank's proposal came at a time when several downtown buildings had collapsed or partially collapsed after years of neglect. Two collapsed buildings sit next door to the bank's headquarters on Main Street. The street has been partially blocked off between Fourth and Fifth avenues until the structures can be razed.
It's up to the fallen buildings' owners to remove the rubble, but city officials said they have had trouble locating one owner and the other is tied up in a dispute over a title deed.
A few blocks south of Simmons' headquarters, an aging, three-story building owned by Garland Trice of Pine Bluff has sat partially collapsed for nearly a year. The city announced last week that Trice had been served with a civil summons over the building, and he is scheduled to appear in court June 24.
The city ordered Trice to tear down the now-condemned building, but he failed to meet the 30-day deadline, saying he had been unfairly treated and had not been given adequate time to fix the structure.
Meanwhile, many people in Pine Bluff remain hopeful that the Simmons plan can help the city, which has had a steady decline in population over the past 20 years.
The city's population is 49,083, according to the 2010 Census. That's down from more than 55,000 counted as part of the 2000 Census.
Regina Murray, who has lived in Pine Bluff for three decades, said she is tired of seeing her city struggle.
She praised Simmons executives for "having the foresight to do something for this town."
Murray added: "This is my home, the place where I raised my family, and it means a lot to me and so many others. It's time to step up and do something to help. I am ready and willing to do what I can to assist. All someone has to do is give me a call."
At an April meeting, Pine Bluff aldermen, Hollingsworth and various other city leaders discussed Simmons' proposal in depth, with Alderman George Stepps suggesting that the city ask voters for a three-year, 0.5 percent sales tax to show solidarity with the bank's efforts.
Stepps said the proposal would raise about $11 million for downtown development.
Pine Bluff resident Jerry Lake, who has lived in the city for 20 years, said he would support such a plan.
"I am all for anything to help this town," Lake said. "What people don't realize is how far down we have gone. It's going to take a lot of money to build this place back up, and only so much of that money can come from a private company. Folks are going to have to step up and put some of their own in, as well. It's time for that to happen."
State Desk on 06/01/2015