Governor signs agency change for War Memorial Stadium

Gov. Asa Hutchinson (at lectern) signs three government reorganization bills Wednesday at War Memorial Stadium, including one to put the War Memorial Stadium Commission under control of the state Department of Parks and Tourism.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (at lectern) signs three government reorganization bills Wednesday at War Memorial Stadium, including one to put the War Memorial Stadium Commission under control of the state Department of Parks and Tourism.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson went to War Memorial Stadium on Wednesday to sign three bills that would reorganize state government, including legislation that merged the free-standing War Memorial Stadium Commission into the state Department of Parks and Tourism.






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With about 100 people on hand for a news conference on the stadium's field, the Republican governor signed Senate Bill 255 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, into law. It's now Act 269 and became effective upon his signature.

The eight-member War Memorial commission will continue to be appointed by the governor under Act 269, but its actions would be subject to the approval of the parks and tourism director, now Kane Webb.

Hutchinson also signed SB256 by Irvin to transfer the Arkansas Energy Office from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission into the Department of Environmental Quality and SB257 by Irvin to move the Office of Health Information Technology into the Department of Health. The measures are now Act 271 and 270, respectively.

"No one is more excited about this than me perhaps, but if there is anybody it would be Kane Webb," Hutchinson said about the future of War Memorial Stadium. "He has already spent innumerable hours on this project, dreaming about it, calling me up and saying, 'Can you meet? I've got some ideas.'"

In October, Hutchinson proposed moving the commission to the parks department. He also proposed cutting general-revenue funding for the stadium from $895,171 in fiscal 2018, which starts July 1, to $447,647 in fiscal 2019, which starts July 1, 2018. The stadium was allocated $889,085 in general revenue in fiscal 2017.

Hutchinson has pledged to use his discretionary funds for a feasibility study by a nationally recognized stadium consultant on needs and opportunities for the structure, which opened in 1948 in Little Rock. Two companies have submitted proposals for the study.

Hutchinson said the parks department "has stepped up and said, 'Governor, we'll cover this for you,' and so they are going be funding this study." He said he doesn't expect to spend more than $250,000 on the consultant.

Asked about his vision for the stadium, Hutchinson told reporters, "The vision, first of all, is to market what we have and the Little Rock Rangers [soccer team are] here and they are performing and we want to be able to expand their opportunities here.

"But it has got to be more than soccer. It has got to be more than one football game a year and so that's the reason why we want to bring on the nationally recognized stadium consultant that will really help us to look at this from a regional perspective as to how this can be utilized as well how it needs to be retrofitted, if at all, and if doable to make sure that we can maximize its opportunities in the future," the governor said.

Hutchinson also said he wanted the University of Arkansas football team playing "in this stadium continuing in the future."

Afterward, Kevin Trainor, a spokesman for the UA athletic director, said, "No decision has been made regarding football games at War Memorial Stadium beyond the current contract that goes through the 2018 season."

A Section on 02/23/2017

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