Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Pineview Closing A Top Story In '98

Pineview was a hot topic of discussion in Gurdon during 1998, making it one of the top stories for the year.

Unfortunately, it was one with an unhappy ending for the city as the nursing home closed and was left vacant.

In May of 1998, HUGS, a division of the Arkansas United Methodist Church, met with the Gurdon City Council to discuss taking over the facility once it closed and the residents had left.

Cliff Coleman and Bill Cole spoke to the panel, telling the city's governing body about HUGS and the organization.

At the time, Coleman had spoken with Pineview owner Eddie Arnold, who built a new nursing home in Arkadelphia and moved the patients from Gurdon to the new home.

The idea was to turn Pineview into a residential care facility for those with special needs. It was to be for adults only, along with senior citizens.

The patients, under the concept, would be those suffering from physical, mental and emotional problems, but none with acute medical problems or who suffered severe psychoses.

Pineview was again discussed by the council at its June meeting, as David Menz, a bond counsel for HUGS, spoke with the panel.

Menz said a deal had been worked out for HUGS to purchase the facility for $300,000, with the group to spend another $320,000 in renovations, along with $330,000 for furniture and equipment.

The council passed the bond issue in an attempt to keep the building occupied and some of the residents there in Gurdon.

With Arnold moving to Arkadelphia, Gurdon lost its license for a nursing home. Along with the loss of Pineview, 27 jobs also left the city.

However, with all the work done by HUGS and the city council, Pineview ended up closing permanently and is currently nothing more than an empty building off 10th Street.