Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Acces Road Is Nearing Completion

Short and sweet was how the Clark County Industrial Council meeting was Thursday, July 16.

With little business on the agenda, the council meeting was over in about 15 minutes.

During this time, Charles Summerford, project engineer for the satellite park road project, said getting the road built has been interesting, frustrating and challenging because of the weather.

When the project first began, the area was getting too much rain. But, the weather dried out and now the road bed has to be wet down to be worked on.

And, Summerford said, part of the road bed had to be ripped up and replaced because of the water beneath the surface. Had this not been done, he told the CCIC members, when it was paved, the asphalt would have quickly deteriorated, and the work done again anyway.

He informed the council everything is on target to have the road finished by the deadline of Aug. 15.

However, the project does have an extension from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission if more time is needed.

Mike McFarland, chairman of the CCIC existing industries committee, gave an update on the Industrial Appreciation Luncheon on July 7.

He said Barbara Pardue, executive director of the AEDC, was down and will do good things for Clark County and the CCIC.

The AEDC, McFarland said, helped with the equity buy-down program, which is important to the community.

Brown Hardman, president of the CCIC, informed the members present the AEDC is also focusing on existing industry, as is the CCIC, but neither group will be stopping the recruiting efforts to get new industries into the area.

Hardman talked about visiting a training center near Jonesboro, which helps train workers for that area's industrial needs.

Their situation, he said, is different because they have a technical school involved and everything is done by a board of directors.

The CCIC, he said, is working to get a 10,000 to 20,000 square foot training center facility built in the industrial park to help this area's industries.

With such a training center, he said, it will show prospective industries the area cares about turning out well trained employees, and is industry driven.

The center, he said, will be industry driven, with industries helping make the decisions.