Tyson proposes new Springdale hatchery

File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/ ANTHONY REYES Tyson Foods has submitted a development plan for a new poultry incubation center in the east part of the city.
File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/ ANTHONY REYES Tyson Foods has submitted a development plan for a new poultry incubation center in the east part of the city.

SPRINGDALE -- Tyson Foods has submitted a development plan for a new poultry incubation center in the east part of the city.

The plan will be on the agenda for the Dec. 1 Planning Commission meeting. The plant is planned for the south side of East Huntsville Avenue between Kawneer Drive and North Monitor Road and east of Bobby Hopper Park.

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Tyson plans for the incubation and hatching operations at the new plant to replace operations at the hatchery on Randall Wobbe Lane, said Worth Sparkman, company spokesman. The hatchery is dated and upgrades are needed, he said.

The new plant will have an emphasis on technology, Sparkman said. He cited internal environment controls, robotics and bio-security measures as examples. It also will be used to educate employees and customers in a visual way, he said.

The site is owned by the Springdale Public Facilities Board, according to Washington County assessor's office property records.

The city board contracts with the Springdale Chamber of Commerce and works with industrial park development, said Perry Webb, president of the chamber. The board has been in discussions with Tyson about acquiring land, and the company has been shown multiple locations. No action has been taken, Webb said.

The land is zoned light industrial and planned industrial, according to the development plan. The plan shows a 78,392-square-foot building and 39 parking spaces. The plan shows an access to the parking lot from Kawneer Drive and another from North Monitor Road.

Sparkman said the location was chosen because it's central and available for development.

Employees at the hatchery on Randall Wobbe Lane would move to the new facility, Sparkman said. Because the plans are still in development, the company isn't ready to settle on any employment figures, he said.

Sparkman said he doesn't know what the old hatchery will be used for after the operation moves. An adjacent processing plant will stay in operation, he said.

If the Planning Commission approves the plan, the new facility might be finished in 1 1/2 to two years, Sparkman said.

Tyson announced last month it intends to renovate and expand a building at 317 and 319 E. Emma Ave., where about 250 of its corporate employees will work. The renovated building is expected to open in 2017.

NW News on 11/06/2015

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