Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Chadwell gives annual update

It's been a busy year, according to Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office.

Chadwell gave an update of the year's activities to members of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, at its annual meeting.

There are projects going on all the time, he said, and it takes the resources of both offices (the Chamber and EDO) to get them done.

The rural water project, he said, is a big one, with 140 easements still needing to be signed. Appraisals have been done to start condemnation proceedings and the project plans have been approved.

Once the easements are all in place, he said, the project can be let for bid. It's possible, Chadwell added, for the project to be underway in about 45 days, if all goes well.

The Depot Museum project is also almost complete, as furniture will be moved into the renovated structure in a few weeks. This will be followed by bringing in the displays, which will take longer.

The museum, he said, should be open to the public in early 2003, and will have some interesting artifacts.

One of the artifacts donated, Chadwell said, is the first compass used to survey the city of Prescott. Another donation is an authentic Civil War sword.

Work is underway on a new building for the fire and parks departments on the East side of town.

Once the structure is finished, there will be a firetruck on both sides of the railroad tracks, and room to house equipment for the parks department as well.

Since September 11, 2001, he said, fewer goods are being shipped by air, which has resulted in an increase in shipment by rail.

In a nutshell, this means there are more trains going through Prescott which has created an even greater need than before for having emergency service vehicles on both sides of the tracks.

Work is underway on a building for the industrial park, he said. At this time, the plans are being examined by an architect. Once the architect signs off on the plans, construction can begin.

Chadwell said the money is in the bank for the project, and hopefully it can be started before the first of the year.

Pocket parks downtown were finished in time for the first annual Great Pumpkin Festival, he said, and can be used for a lot of different events.

Plans are in the works to have monthly events at the parks throughout the year.

Some of the events discussed include concerts and possibly movie nights. Should the movie night idea work, a screen will be set up at one end of the park, with a projector at the other. Audiences will be able to get popcorn and soft drinks while they watch older movies.

This will be done when the weather permits.

A long-awaited project will be underway in the spring, he said. This is the renovation of sidewalks downtown.

A grant for $500,000 was obtained for the project. Now, he said, it's a waiting game for the agencies involved to sign off on it so bids can be let and work started.

When completed, the sidewalks will be handicapped accessible, along with being smoother and having better drainage.

Downtown businesses will be inconvenienced throughout the spring and summer when the work is being done.

Chadwell updated the members on the leadership program, saying it's going well and coming close to completing its second year.

Nine of 10 sessions have been completed, he said, and when the final session ends, it will be time for the banquet and naming the next leadership group.

For the Arkansas Communities of Excellence program, he said, 81 people worked on the committees for recertification. The work was done for the entire county, though Prescott would be the only community to be certified.

However, he said, this lays the groundwork for certifying the entire county as an ACE county.

The information gathered by the committees produced a document 111 pages long, with Nevada County Judge James Roy Brown and all mayors being asked for a list of the top five things they saw as being needed to be done.

In all, he said, some 45 goals were determined as necessary for the next three years of the ACE certification.

All of the goals are attainable, he said, if the money can be found.

A community website started in December 2001, has been updated and has information on all communities in the county.

The improvements include the addition of two sites where local job listings are available, and a link for community polls for various issues. Not all of the polls will be for serious subjects.

In the past year, Chadwell said, contact was made with 18 different prospects, with six still being viable. Two have said they will commit to coming to Prescott if everything can be worked out.

Also during the last year, he said, the EDO has received $845,000 for projects, while spending $145,000 in matching funds. The matching money comes from the one-cent sales tax the city has.

Plans for next year, Chadwell said, are to finish several project currently underway and start work on the ACE strategic plan.

Chadwell also addressed proposed Amendment 3, the so-called food tax amendment, saying it would cripple the city and county along with a lot of improvements people are seeing.

"A lot of grants from the state come from its general fund and would be gone," he said. "We would lose on the local and state level. I urge everyone to vote no on Amendment 3. It would have disastrous effects locally and wouldn't help low-income families."