LITTLE ROCK — After presenting potential expansion plans to the Arkansas Livestock Show Association executive board on Thursday, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola reminded the group that time will be of the essence if it has interest in a proposal that would see the State Fairgrounds expand across the Roosevelt Road bridge scheduled for replacement next year.
Stodola has proposed that the city and the association work with the state Highway and Transportation Department so that when the bridge is replaced, a “promenade” could be added to the bridge so fairgoers can easily access the current property and any expansion to the west.
Frustrated with aging buildings, cramped quarters and a blighted neighborhood, the association’s board put out a call for proposals for new locations in 2009. It had been mulling plans focused on relocation, including a proposal from Jacksonville.
Board Chairman Ned Ray Purtle said after the presentation that board members would make time to tour the expansion site, which is home to the old Phillips Lighting Co. plant, so they will be prepared for a vote at the next quarterly meeting, “which can be anytime after April 1,” he said.
Ralph Shoptaw, general manager of the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show, said the promenade option was near the top of the list for expansion opportunities.
“It would be an instant revenue generator,” he said after the meeting. “We could immediately start booking larger events, those too big for the convention center or the space we currently have.”
He said he’s talked with the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, and said that group was supportive of having space for larger events. Similarly, Stodola noted during his presentation that the Statehouse Convention Center is “probably not the best place for the big RV and boat shows.”
Acquiring the plant would add a 200,000-square-foot building to the fairgrounds, Shoptaw said.
“To give you an example, our Hall of Industry is 34,000 square feet,” he said. “The Statehouse Convention Center is 100,000 square feet.”
Shoptaw said the added space is needed if the association is to lessen its reliance on the annual 10-day State Fair, which typically draws more than 400,000 people each year.
“We’re more dependent on the fair than we ever have been before,” Shoptaw said after the meeting. “We’ve been fortunate, but one rainy season would really hurt us.”
Randy Ort, a spokesman for the Highway Department, said the agency welcomes input from the city or association sooner rather than later.
However, he said Thursday that the design phase of the new bridge had yet to begin. Since the bridge is a historic structure, the department is required to put it up for bid to see if a new home can be found for it. That process closes Oct. 3.
“We’re still more than a year away before we begin construction,” Ort said.
Stodola told the board that with time, he could envision the implementation of any or all of his proposals over the years if the association decided to stay where it’s been for the past six decades.
Another of Stodola’s proposals would see the city acquire nearly 52 acres of land east of the fairgrounds. The Metropolitan Housing Alliance is the largest single landowner in the area and has expressed willingness to make the property available, Stodola said, also noting that the city has liens on several parcels and is prepared to initiate proceedings to acquire the titles to those properties.
Additionally, the association could purchase other parcels or acquire property through eminent domain under “the Arkansas Building Authority.”
A third option Stodola pitched envisions working with the railroad to connect the current fairgrounds with about 34 acres 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 usable by the fairgrounds.
Shoptaw noted that part of that land is already part of the association’s $1-a-year lease with the state that expires about 2055.
“That’s already included, we just can’t get to it,” Shoptaw said. He said the association has a 148-acre lease but the fair uses about 90 acres while the average state fairgrounds is about 366 acres.
Stodola also pledged assistance from the city’s grant writers in finding funding for various projects, such as renovating some of the aging buildings. And the Advertising and Promotions Commission is enthusiastic about helping the group search for namingrights partnerships.
He cited a 2009 study commissioned by the city that put a major face-lift at between $20 million and $29 million. That study put the cost of a move at about $120 million, he said. The board-commissioned study put the cost of a move at about $190 million on the high end.
Little Rock voters in September passed a sales-tax increase that included $3 million for keeping the fair where it is.
“I’m here to say we’d love to keep you and we want you to stay,” Stodola said. “We think it’s the smart economic decision.”
Front Section, Pages 1 on 03/16/2012