Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon eyed by company for possible expansion

An industrial prospect is interested in possibly locating a plant in Gurdon.

The regular meeting of the Clark County Industrial Council was cancelled for September, with the board of directors meeting instead.

This was done to give the board the opportunity to discuss industrial prospects, the direction the CCIC is going and whether this is the way the council wants to go or not.

According to Kevin Copeland, executive director of the CCIC, the council is in mode to get industry in Gurdon.

The primary setback, he said, is many industries don't want to locate in a city getting its water supply from wells, as wells aren't reliable and may not be able to meet the needs of the industry.

However, Copeland said, a furniture industry currently in Salisaw, Okla., is interested in the Clark County area, and is not a heavy water user.

First, though, an environmental study would have to be done in the Gurdon area to make sure no plant or animal species would be endangered by the company.

This company, he said, would be ideal for Gurdon. Should it located in the county, it will need a 50,000 square foot building.

One of the problems it's having now is the facilities it's in are too small and it has no room for expansion.

CCIC President Brown Hardman said Gurdon has 20 acres near Love Field the industry could locate. But, should it choose not to build in Gurdon, it may be interested in a site at the Clark County Industrial Park.

The council's board approved building a 50,000 square foot shell spec building to show industrial prospects.

Copeland said three companies gave their opinion on the land and building for a spec building, with the recommendations pointing out the shifting clay base in the region.

A soil engineer took samples to be used for foundation purposes, seeing what would be needed to keep a building's foundation from shifting and cracking with the expansion and contraction of the soil.

The board agreed to hire Charles Summerford as the project engineer, and go ahead with putting the third spec building the CCIC has been involved with in gear.

Since the CCIC's inception, the organization has been successful in getting industries in the two previous spec buildings it has built.

Clark County, Copeland said, is the "poster child" for spec buildings in Arkansas, having filled two.

Summerford, he said, agreed to take on the project for a nominal fee. Copeland said it would take Summerford about 45 days to get the plans together. Summerford Engineering did the other two spec buildings for the CCIC as well.

Hardman said Summerford has done a lot of free work for the CCIC in the past, and has always been reasonable in the fees he has charged.

Because the board approved building the third spec building, the CCIC must now come up with half the money it will take for construction. Hardman said it will take between $600,000 and $750,000 for the project.

Hardman said with the attacks in New York and Washington, there could be more diversification with industries, as they could locate facilities further south to avoid being heavily concentrated in these areas.

Copeland said there are four prospects looking at Clark County, but three want an existing building.

"We have to be able to act in a hurry," he said. "It's hard to market 20 acres of green space."

The spec building the CCIC has in mind will be 50,000 square feet on 20 acres, with access to hard surface roads, water and sewer. Its floor will be pea gravel to the industry can pour its own foundation.

Additionally, it will have two doors and 25-foot eaves, being a pre-engineered metal building with R-6 insulation.

The interior will be empty so the industry locating there can design to meet its needs.

In discussing the business park on W.P. Malone Drive, Copeland said the CCIC doesn't have the money to complete the project at this time.

He sought ideas from two different sources for developing part of the park, both with price tags higher than the CCIC can afford at this time.

Land Design Studio, the company doing the plans for Arkadelphia's streetscape project, said it would cost the CCIC $700,000 to utilize its concept for the park.

Initially, the project costs were $800,000 plus in-kind considerations. The CCIC doesn't have $800,000 at this time to fully implement the infrastructure.

However, it does have enough to do the entrance, with curb and gutters and a road into the park.

The board will examine the possibility of doing this work, thereby showing activity in the park to potential prospects.

Copeland said the CCIC's membership drive got off to a late start this year, but membership has increased by 25 percent, going from 200 to 250 members.

The new campaign will begin after Jan. 1, 2002.

Hardman said things have slowed down nationally on the economic level, but the CCIC needs to "load up" and make sure what happened in Clark County 15 years ago doesn't happen again.

In the mid-1980s, the county lost industries and suffered unemployment rates of 16 percent and higher. This led to the creation of the Clark County Action Council, which became the CCIC.

Hardman said the CCIC belongs to everyone in Clark County, and urged all county residents to join the CCIC, keeping it strong and viable, while also helping keep industries and jobs in the county as well.