LITTLE ROCK | Development Updates

[theman]

Along with all of the condo development going on in downtown Little Rock, there are several residential projects in various stages in downtown North Little Rock as well.

Downtown North Little Rock Seeing a Wave of Housing Projects
By Mark Friedman
Arkansas Business


In addition to Rockwater Village, several other housing projects are under construction in downtown North Little Rock.

Construction started in May 2006 on a 260-unit apartment complex near the Alltel Arena. The Enclave at the Riverfront will feature upscale apartments between 700 and 1,500 SF. The project still is under construction.


Little Rock attorney Sam Perroni is planning on building 12 condos and office space just north of the downtown public library branch in the 500 block of Main Street. Construction should start later this year or early 2008, said Michael Drake, Main Street director for the city of North Little Rock.


The New Argenta Development Group, led by John Gaudin, and developer Vanadis 3 Cos., which is Fletcher Hanson and Paul Esterer, have announced they will construct 57 town homes on Maple Street between Fourth and Seventh avenues. The City Grove Townhomes project is expected to start in early 2008.


Another 26 condominiums are scheduled to be built on the second and third floors of the Twin City Bank project at Seventh Avenue and Main Street. Construction is expected to start in spring 2008. The North Little Rock bank will have an office on the 40,000-SF site.


Drake said he's not worried about downtown North Little Rock being overbuilt.


He said national statistics indicate that 6 percent of a city's population can live downtown in lofts or multifamily homes.


"We have plenty of capacity," Drake said. "People are moving to the urban centers and moving away from the green fields and back downtown."


North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays said Rockwater Village should help boost the city's population, which has remained stagnant for about 50 years at about 60,000 people.

[theman]

University Area Gears Up for Change
By George Waldon
Arkansas Business


Midtown revitalization efforts in Little Rock's University Avenue corridor present a study in contrasts. North of Interstate 630, commercial projects are the pre-eminent attraction.


Dallas-based developer James Strode redeveloped a mixed bag of properties dominated by languishing residences into the Midtowne Little Rock lifestyle center.


The Container Store now under construction will round out Strode's 130,000-SF redevelopment, which wraps around the northeast corner of University Avenue and Markham Street.


Strode hopes to replicate his Midtowne success nearby by bulldozing the down-and-out University Mall he purchased for $21 million and replacing it with the Park Avenue, described as a mixed-use open-air lifestyle center.


The commercial resurgence is supported by more affluent neighborhoods north of I-630, a roadway that links the Markham and University Avenue area with other affluent neighborhoods in west Little Rock.


South of I-630, the focus is on revitalizing the neighborhoods in hopes of stimulating commercial redevelopment.


The area may never match the financial demographics of the northern midtown neighborhoods, but stabilizing the University District neighborhoods and making the area a more desirable place to live are considered realistic goals.


"We're moving from a master planning stage to a program development phase," said Ron Copeland, director of the University District. "Improving housing, that's our first priority."


The borders of the University District generally are defined as Rock Creek on the west, 12th Street on the north, Monroe Street on the east and Fourche Creek on the south.


About 10,000 residents call home the Cherry & Cox and Oak Forest neighborhoods on the east side of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Broadmoor and Point O'Woods neighborhoods on the west side of University Avenue.


"Before we can see a renewal of commercial corridors, consultants tell us we need to bring more families into the area to support retail," Copeland said.


Though Asher and University remains one of the busiest intersections in Little Rock, Kmart and Wal-Mart both exited the scene. Hollywood Video and others have left as well.


Area boosters intend to form a community development corporation as a vehicle to help make good things happen in the district. The CDC formation process is expected to begin in January and be completed by the end of summer.


UALR a Catalyst


Much of the University CDC's emphasis on residential improvements will be directed toward single-family housing. However, Copeland is encouraged by a big multifamily project spawned by the heart of the district: UALR and its 12,000 students.


Atlanta investors are developing a $14.7 million apartment project that will eventually house 600 students on the old Coleman Dairy site at 5801 Asher Ave. Copeland hopes the project will lead to more investment in the area.


UALR, with 212 acres under ownership, is looked on as the catalyst for radiating revitalization into the neighborhoods. The university is in the midst of a $100 million campaign to establish a foundation to support a student enrollment of 20,000.


"Our challenge is how do we leverage the energy and investment to benefit the whole area," Copeland said. "As we go here, we're going to attract people looking for development opportunities. The key to redevelopment is leveraging public investment to help attract private investment."


Back on the single-family front, district supporters want to reverse a trend of owner-occupied homes becoming rent houses, where a high level of deferred maintenance is the norm.


"We don't have statistics, but a lot of anecdotal evidence indicates it's moving that way," Copeland said. "We want to do things through the CDC to encourage housing renovation to prevent further deterioration."


Tapping programs to help attract first-time homebuyers and other incentives to draw more single-family ownership is viewed as a key to revitalizing district neighborhoods. The price of housing in the area, while attractive, is a reflection of lower demand from would-be buyers interested in district neighborhoods.


The average sales price of 13 homes that sold in the Oak Forest neighborhoods during 2007 was $65,976. Average price per SF: $53.


The average sales price of 23 homes in the Cherry & Cox neighborhood that sold this year was $69,350. Average price per SF: $60.


The 59 homes in the Broadmoor neighborhoods on the western side of the district sold for an average of $87,506 this year. Average price per SF: $66.


If the same houses were in neighborhoods north of Interstate 630, the sales prices jump up toward $100 per SF and beyond.


"We want to strengthen and preserve the single-family character of the neighborhoods," Copeland said.


The vision is to help existing homeowners spruce up their properties and help prospective homebuyers move into the district. As an offshoot of that, district supporters want to make the area more attractive to residents.


Part of that effort is to make the area more friendly to pedestrian and bike traffic. District leaders hope to establish a network of bike routes and sidewalks linking the area's schools and parks.


Besides UALR, the University District is home to three elementary schools and a middle school. Two elementary schools, Bale at 6501 W. 32nd St. and Wilson at 4015 Stannus St., and Hamilton Learning Academy at 3301 S. Bryant St. are west of University Avenue. Only Franklin Elementary School at 1701 S. Harrison St. is east of University Avenue.


UALR wants to increase its ties to the area schools to augment educational opportunities and enhance the district's scholastic reputation.


In terms of parks, the district has Boyle Park on the west side and Curran Conway Park on the east. Coleman Creek, which meanders through the heart of the UALR campus, is considered something of a third park.


Dave Millay, chairman of the Coleman Creek Greenway Committee, reports that recommendations for a phased plan of development along the creek should be ready by spring.


In advance of future improvements, reclamation work has prepared an anchor point for the greenway project at the northwest corner of Asher Avenue and Coleman Creek.


"We've demolished five buildings and have cleared all the asphalt and concrete on 5 acres," said Millay, director of the UALR physical plant department. "The exciting thing is beginning the restoring process so not only the campus but the whole community can enjoy it."


General plans call for developing a nature area on the former commercial site, with a bike/foot trail along Coleman Creek extending a mile northward through the UALR campus up to 20th Street.


The new green area also would serve as an amenity for a southern entryway from Asher Avenue to the campus.


Developing the 47-acre greenway along the creek is expected to cost about $650,000. Future work could include developing an alumni park near the midpoint of the greenway and a natural area behind the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service building on the north end.


"Our commitment is to have the plan presented to the chancellor by April 2008," Millay said.


The Question Mark


Meanwhile, there is discussion on whether the University corridor area north of 12th Street and south of I-630 will become a northern attachment to the University District or a southern expansion of the Midtown effort.


The biggest question mark in this sector is the former Brandon House Furniture location at 1100 S. University Ave. The 140,000-SF project and 8.7-acre site awaits redevelopment after MBC Holdings Worldwide LLC bought the project for $4.46 million.


MBC's Bruce Burrow and Marty Belz teamed up earlier to buy and renovate the nearby Hilton Little Rock Metro Center at 925 S. University Ave.


Roadway improvements along University Avenue are pushing southward into the University District. Mike Hood, engineering manager at Little Rock public works, reports that construction of University Avenue improvements has halted temporarily to allow Entergy Arkansas crews to relocate utility lines.


Roadwork is expected to resume by March and be completed by summer. Improvements include widening University Avenue to a minimum of three lanes in each direction along with sidewalks bordering the eastern and western perimeters of the thoroughfare.


The $4.36 million project, started in August 2006 by the contracting firm of Joyner Ford & Burke of Alexander, covers 1.18 miles from Markham Street south to 19th Street. The design of future improvements to University Avenue south to Asher Avenue is still undergoing debate.

[theman]

Clinton School to Open CALS Facility
By Arkansas Business Staff

The University of Arkansas' Clinton School of Public Service said Friday that it would open a new facility on the top floor of the historic Budget Office Building in the Central Arkansas Library System's new Arkansas Studies Institute on President Clinton Avenue in the River Market.


The Arkansas Studies Institute is a joint venture with CALS and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.


The $1 million project will include classrooms and faculty offices as well as access to and use of conference and meeting rooms, galleries and research facilities. Built in 1882, the 5,700-SF facility is currently under renovation, but will be completed before the opening of classes in fall 2008.


"This new facility will expand our campus from the Clinton Presidential Park to the River Market and provide us with the additional classroom space we need," said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. "It will also place us closer to the Main Library and provide our students access to additional study, meeting and conference rooms. It is within easy walking distance of our Sturgis Hall facility in the Clinton Presidential Park and easily accessible by the downtown trolley system."


Because it is paying for the renovation, the Clinton School will lease the space for 20 years with a 20 year renewable option at no fee. The maintenance and operations costs for the facility are estimated to be about $75,000 annually and will be paid through the school's regular operating budget.

[theman]

Condo project aspires to outshine LR rivals
By Laura Stevens
Arkansas Democrat Gazette


LITTLE ROCK — At $65 million, The Ashford will be the latest and one of the most costly high-rise condo projects in Little Rock.

The 14-story building won’t be the tallest residential tower in town - that distinction goes to the 20-story River Market Tower under construction at River Market Place. Nor will the Ashford overshadow the 18-story 300 Third Tower, whichopened last year at a cost of $45 million.

But the developer, Little Rock-based The Hathaway Group, says it will be unlike anything else in the market.

The tower is inspired by those in bigger cities across the United States, said Hathaway spokesman Mark Rushing, who added that further details will be revealed on Tuesday.

“Jim Hathaway [the developer] says you’d have to go toareas like Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville to find something similar,” Rushing said.

The Ashford will be at 2001 Riverfront Drive, about a half mile west of the Alltel Corp. headquarters building. It will house 44 residences.

Units will range from 2,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet, according to a Web site that was online Friday, www.theashfordlittlerock.com. Each unit will have a private balcony, fine cabinetry, European appliances and the latest electronics.

There will be a concierge, and residents will be able to reserve two fully furnished guest rooms, the Web site states. There is also a fitness center, a swimming pool, hot tub, club room and card room.

The condominium tower site was originally approved in May 2004 by the Little Rock Planning Commission for a 13-story, $36 million high-rise condominium to be known as the River Tower. The planning commission originally recommended denying the application because of height concerns and the proximity to neighbors but reversed its position after the developer revised the plans.

The Little Rock Board of Directors approved the luxury high-rise building in June 2004, despite strong protest from neighbors who didn’t want the building towering over them.

Hathaway planned a 38-unit building on the 3.2 acres. The average unit price was to be about $750,000, with two penthouses offered at more than $1.5 million each.

The Planning and Zoning Commission granted an extension to The Hathaway Group in March, when the zoning approval was set to expire.

Hathaway will be joining other Riverdale developers withthe condo tower. The former 11-story apartment building at 3700 Cantrell Road is in the midst of being stripped down and converted to Riviera Condominiums. The $25 million project is transforming the 113 units, built in 1964, into 68 units ranging from 1,200 square feet to 2,700 square feet. Two-bedroom, two-bathroom units will start at $249,000.

Moses Tucker Real Estate, which finished construction on 300 Third last summer, also started construction on the River Market Tower, part of a onesquare-block, $82 million project that also includes a hotel and retail space.

Some condo projects announced in the area never materialized. In North Little Rock, twin nine-story condominium towers and a marina near the new ballpark fell through in November 2006, and Bella Torre, a $54 million, 18-story condo high rise never became a reality.

Tuesday, The Hathaway Group will reveal more information about the new tower, including giving a virtual tour of the building in the new reservation center across the street.

[theman]

New Commercial Construction Tops $254 Million in LR-NLR

By George Waldon
Arkansas Business


The year 2007 was big for new commercial construction in Little Rock, with 60 projects bearing a combined value of more than $192 million. The dollar total represented the largest for the city during the past five years, far surpassing the $112.3 million total for 2005.


Topping the charts was the $46 million River Market Tower in downtown Little Rock. Construction of the 20-story project began in July en route to an anticipated completion in May 2009.


Rett Tucker, partner in Moses Tucker Real Estate, reports that about 22 percent of the 135 condominium units in the 450,000-SF project are pre-sold.


An adjoining eight-story Hampton Inn & Suites project also made the list of big commercial building permits during 2007. The $8 million structure, scheduled for completion in September, will have 71,000 SF under roof and 119 rooms.


The hotel project, together with the neighboring condo tower, make up the River Market Place development.


CDI Contractors LLC of Little Rock is overseeing construction of both projects and also pulled the new construction permits for the site work and interior finish-out work at Fellowship Bible Church in west Little Rock.


Rounding out the company's five permits in the 2007 summary is the new corporate headquarters for Bank of the Ozarks in west Little Rock. Construction of the four-story, 90,000-SF building should be finished before year's end.


With this office project, CDI held the three largest commercial building permits issued in Little Rock during 2007.


"We had a record year on the Dillard's side and the non-Dillard's side," said William Clark, chairman and CEO of CDI. The company, half-owned by Dillard's Inc., does all the construction work for the Little Rock retailer.


Of the 20 largest commercial building permits in Little Rock-North Little Rock issued during 2007, 13 were in the capital city. North Little Rock's dollar total was slightly down in a year-to-year comparison ($62.1 million in 2007 versus $68.8 million in 2006).


However, the combined value of new commercial building permits issued during 2007 in Little Rock and North Little Rock was the biggest in five years: more than $254 million.


The Wal-Mart Super Center at 12001 Maumelle Blvd. weighed in at $16.3 million, the largest new commercial building permit in North Little Rock during 2007. The 184,248-SF store, scheduled to open this spring, anchors the 71-acre Cypress Landing development.


The breakdown of sectors represented in the top 20 list reads this way: retail, six; church and industrial, three each; retirement, two; mixed-use, hotel, school, apartment, condominium and office, one each.

Absent from the roster of new commercial construction permits are government projects, buildings owned by federal, state, county or city entities. Those are exempt.

[theman]

Building work at Heifer site kicks off

By Michelle Hillen
Arkansas Democrat Gazette

LITTLE ROCK — Nearly a year after the groundbreaking for Heifer International’s education center, construction crews have begun to lay the building’s foundation and are on target for a grand opening in June 2009.

The $7.5 million Polly Murphy & Christoph Keller Jr. Education Center will be 16,000 square feet and include an exhibit hall, gift shop, cafe and conference rooms.

“Having an education building is really going to open the door for the public to come and have an experience - a deep experience we hope - of learning about the solutions to these very serious problems of world hunger and poverty,” Heifer spokesman Ray White said.

The 64-year-old hunger relief charity, based in Arkansas since 1971, provides animals such as alpacas, water buffalo, rabbits and bees to families in underdeveloped countries and in more than 25 U.S. states. Heifer trains recipients to care for the animals, use them to improve the lives of their tenders and pass the animals’ offspring to others.

Construction of the education building is the second phase in a three-phase project that began with Heifer’s $17.5 million world headquarters building. That building opened in March 2006 next to the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.

The cost of phase two, including the Murphy Keller Education Center, nearby wetlands and a green space is $13.5 million. The charity has raised about $8.5 million so far, leaving them to raise $5 millionto complete the project, White said.

The final phase will be a global village, which will include a collection of interactive exhibits depicting villages from Ecuador, Guatemala, Cameroon, South Africa, Indonesia, China, India and Romania. Visitors will wander through the villages and learn how families from around the world achieve self-reliance through farming.

“It is not a depressing story, it’s an uplifting story,” White said. “We actually have technologically, and in many other ways, come to the point where we can see an end to world hunger.”

Heifer officials have estimated the global village will eventually draw more than 250,000 visitors annually.

The education center, named after longtime Heifer supporters Polly Murphy Keller Winter and her late husband Christoph Keller Jr., will help fulfill one of Heifer’s primary missions - to teach the American public about the root causes of hunger and solicit their support in helping to stop it, he said.

The family of Keller Winter and Keller donated $3.5 million to Heifer in 2005.

As designed, the building will arc around a common lawn area and will help complete a circular design started by the curve of the headquarters building, said project designer Reese Rowland with the Little Rock architectural firm of Polk, Stanley, Rowland, Curzon and Porter Architects.

“The inspiration of the building is really a continuation of that larger circle of life idea that we set up for the entire plan for the campus,” Rowland said.

The design is influenced by the “Heifer story,” he said.

“When they give an animal to a family and they pass that animal off to the next family ... it just creates these concentric rings of influence throughout a village and throughout a countryside,” Rowland said. “We set up the entire master plan for their campus based on concentric rings fromthat idea.”

The building is designed as a pavilion space, with the roof supported off of a curved concrete wall. It will eventually serve as the “gateway to the global village,” so it is being constructed with the idea of a railroad terminal in mind, he said.

“It is the terminal building where in the future, people will buy their ticket to the world,” Rowland said.

The grounds of the new building will also contain a sustainable farming exhibit, which will showcase various agricultural methods Heifer encourages across the globe, as well as a wetlands area.

The wetlands, which will recreate a tupelo marshland, will capture storm-water runoff, facilities director Erik Swindle said.

“The water that we collect we use as irrigation for trees, and it’s a natural filtration system,” Swindle said.

The wetlands and the building are part of the environmentally conscious design Heifer has used in all of its recent construction.

The headquarters building has achieved a platinum certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, a standard for environmentally friendly construction, White said. The education building will be built according to Green Globes standards, a separate standardization for environmentally friendly construction, he said.

[urbanactivist]

Great updates on Little Rock... my home town

How is the construction of the River Market residentials coming?

[KevinFromTexas]

I'm going to rename the thread title "Little Rock Update". That should make it easier to search for.

[Mopacs]

Thanks for all the updates! I paid my first extended visit to Little Rock two weeks ago. Man I was impressed with the city and especially the greenery and terrain. The westside/Chenal Valley is really nice, and reminds me of Atlanta to an extent.

[theman]

Originally Posted by urbanactivistTX

Great updates on Little Rock... my home town

How is the construction of the River Market residentials coming?

River Market Place is coming along well. The 10th floor was poured on River Market Tower in mid February so they should be a couple of floors higher than that. It won't be long until they are topping out at 20 stories The Hampton Inn & Suites that is part of River Market Place has been topped out and they are bricking the exterior now. It's going to be a nice compliment to 300 Third, First Security Center and the Arkansas Capital Commerce Center

[theman]

Originally Posted by Mopacs

Thanks for all the updates! I paid my first extended visit to Little Rock two weeks ago. Man I was impressed with the city and especially the greenery and terrain. The westside/Chenal Valley is really nice, and reminds me of Atlanta to an extent.

Thanks for the compliment. I just had a business associate from Kansas City in town and he felt the same way you did. He stayed downtown and was impressed with what Little Rock had to offer. You need to come back in the spring when everything is blooming again, you'll really like it then.

[theman]

Pipe-Maker Man Industries to Build $100 Million Plant at Little Rock Port, Employ 300
By Mark Hengel and Lance Turner
Arkansas Business.com

Gov. Mike Beebe and Arkansas economic development officials on Friday announced that pipe manufacturer Man Industries of Mumbai, India plans to build a $100 million plant on 162 acres at the Port of Little Rock.

The plant will employ 250 production workers, with production set to begin in early 2009. It will be Man Industries' North and South American headquarters.

Speaking at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Man Industries Chairman Ramesh Mansukhani said wages will start at about $12 per hour based on worker skill levels, he said.

About another 50 people will work at the plant's administrative offices, with pay ranging from $50,000 to $70,000, Mansukhani said. The company will relocate some professionals from other sites to fill those offices, he said, but it will also recruit employees for production and other administrative jobs from Arkansas.

Mansukhani said the company hopes to begin construction as soon as possible.

"Most of our equipment is already purchased, and all the equipment will be moved come October," he said. "We hope to start production early next year. We have a market in the USA."

This is the latest pipe plant to locate at the Port of Little Rock. In July, Welspun Gujarat Stahl Rohren Ltd. of Mumbai, India, announced plans to build a $100 million manufacturing facility on 740 acres at the port.

Mansukhani said the reception the company received from Arkansans was a primary reason for locating the manufacturing facility in Little Rock.

"We found in our search that Little Rock was the right location," he said. "It was not because of the incentives, but the people are very warm, [we received] a warm welcome."

Joey Dean, executive director of the Metro Little Rock Alliance, told ArkansasBusiness.com that Little Rock's location also played a role in the company's decision.

"Arkansas has got a tremendous amount of advantages. ... They are taking advantage of multiple modes of transportation that are going to give them a competitive advantage," Dean said.

Pipes for Petroleum Industry

Economic developers said Man Industries' Little Rock plant will be able to produce 300,000 tons of HSAW (Helical Submerged Arc Welded) pipes each year. The pipes will be used primarily in the petroleum industry. A coating facility will also be on site, officials said.

Man Industries of Mumbai, India, has two manufacturing plants in Gujarat and Madya Pradesh, India. The company said the new Little Rock plant will allow it to expand and better serve the U.S. market.

Man Industries has offices in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. It is part of The Man Group PLC of the U.K.

Speaking at the chamber on Friday, Gov. Mike Beebe said Man Industries' announcement on Friday bucks the trend that manufacturing in Arkansas, and the rest of the nation, is on the downturn.

"There may be misconceptions about the manufacturing climate in the United States," he said. "We are sending a message, not just to America, but to the rest of the world, 'Arkansas is not giving up.' International companies see that Arkansas can be a leader, and we are not going to cede it."

Friday's news follows the announcement of other manufacturers coming to the Little Rock Port. In July, LM Glasfiber of Denmark annnounced a $150 million fiberglass wind turbine blade plant. Officials began construction on that plant, which will eventually employ 1,000, in October. The first blade produced by the LM Glasfiber team in Arkansas was finished in February.

Little Rock's Worldwide Profile

Dean said that the Little Rock region is building its worldwide profile thanks to other international companies locating production facilities in the city. The presence of the University of Arkansas system in the city, particularly the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is also an important factor.

The announcement is the latest for the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Little Rock Alliance and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, which have focused efforts on attracting employers to Little Rock and the 11-county central Arkansas region.

"Our marking has a laser focus on the site-consulting firms that work for projects that fit this marketplace," Jay Chesshir, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said.

Economic development efforts do not always land projects, but the relationships formed during the process have led to many of the recent projects, including Welspun, LM Glasfiber and Man Industries, Chesshir said.

"We treat [the site consultant's] client with the utmost respect and confidentiality," he said. "That [focus] has given this region an advantage that three or four years ago wasn't possible."

Dean said the economic development efforts will continue to focus on other sectors including advanced manufacturing and the aerospace industry, which is expected to add 5,000 jobs in Arkansas in the next 10 years.

Dean also said the counties in the Metro Little Rock Alliance work closely to bring economic development to many of the outlying areas. Recent announcements include Cardinal Health Inc. in Sherwood and Stanley Inc. in Hot Springs.

[theman]

Bank of the Ozarks, Mainstream Technologies to Occupy Historic Federal Reserve Building
By George Waldon
Arkansas Business.com

Bank of the Ozarks Inc. and Mainstream Technologies Inc. will set up quarters in downtown Little Rock's historic Federal Reserve Bank Building at 325 W. Capitol Ave.

The two Little Rock companies jointly acquired the more than 77,000-SF building in a $4.3 million acquisition with the federal government.

Mainstream Technologies will relocate its 30-member staff from its west Little Rock office space at 11 Corporate Hill Drive to the second floor of the project and eventually fill it.

"We expect to double our headcount in the next four years," said John Burgess, president and co-founder of the company.

The facility will allow Mainstream Technologies to increase its current 12 terabyte data storage and processing capabilities by 10 fold, with the possibility of increasing 50 fold.

Founded in 1996, the company offers data mining products, vendor tracking systems, customer management, distribution management, RTV tracking, electronic vaulting, supply-chain tracking and logistics services.

Bank of the Ozarks will consolidate its 15-member professional and executive banking group in the building. Following renovation work, both companies plan to move into their new space during the fourth quarter 2008.

The 1.6-acre development, which includes 100 parking slots, dates back to 1967. The branch bank served as a check processing center for the St. Louis District of the Federal Reserve.

Bank of the Ozarks will continue operating its Chester Street branch in downtown Little Rock, and will continue to hold nearly an acre of parking bought along the 300 block of Broadway that was considered for future development.

"We have no definitive plans for that property," said Jack McCray, executive vice president for real estate acquisitions and development for the company.

Sharon Priest, executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, introduced the announcement by linking this afternoon's press conference with St. Patrick's Day

"We have news about green, and it's not the environmental green," Priest said.

Asked if there would be added incentives for Mainstream Technologies staff to live in downtown Little Rock and work in the new location, Burgess offered a quip and said no.

"Other than that's where their paychecks are?" Burgess said, generating laughter among those gathered.

[theman]

Another reason we are proud of Little Rock. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has the best Myeloma cancer institute in the nation. Here is an article on the institute.

Myeloma Patients Flock to Little Rock
By Mark Hengel
Arkansas Business.com


When Roy Scheider died last month, the dateline on the Associated Press story was Little Rock.

Best known as the shark-hunting police chief in Stephen Spielberg's classic "Jaws," the 75-year-old actor had become a regular visitor to Little Rock for one reason: He suffered from multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells that is incurable.

Scheider, like patients from more than 40 countries, sought treatment from possibly the world's best facility specializing in the treatment of multiple myeloma, the Myeloma Institute for Research & Therapy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

"Medical tourism" is a term most often used when Americans travel abroad in search of less expensive treatment. But superior or experimental treatments can also drive medical tourism.

Dr. Bart Barlogie and his staff at the Myeloma Institute have worked to establish the methods that help define the treatment of multiple myeloma. So far, three methods have been developed, known as Total Therapy I, II and III. This summer, the Myeloma Institute hopes to introduce Total Therapy IV and V, therapies that allow for more specific treatment of two subgroups the institute's researchers have identified within the cancer: "high risk" and "low risk."

The treatments keep the patients coming back. As they stay for treatment, they contribute millions of dollars to the local economy.

'The Job Isn't Done'

The late UAMS Chancellor Dr. Harry Ward, Dr. James Suen and Dr. Kent Westbrook helped recruit Barlogie to UAMS in 1989. Suen and Westbrook are former directors of UAMS' cancer center.

Under Barlogie's direction, the institute has conducted more stem-cell transplants for myeloma sufferers than any other facility in the world. The treatment removes a patient's white blood and stem cells then replaces them with new stem cells. Patients also receive chemotherapy as part of the treatment.

The Myeloma Institute, which is part of the recently named Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, treats about 2,250 patients a year, more than any other such facility in the nation. It also performed its 7,000th stem-cell transplant last October.

"It's now almost 20 years, so I've gotten used to doing what I'm doing," Barlogie, 63, said. "When one maintains quality and has credibility, I guess one sustains that - like building Mercedes, Porsche or BMW."

Barlogie's work at the institute, and before, has earned him many awards. He was named national physician of the year by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. in 2006. In 2004, he received the Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Myeloma Foundation of North Hollywood, Calif.

The awards have not decreased Barlogie's passion, though, he said.

"One remains humbled to know that the job isn't done," Barlogie said. "I'm going to figure that out: To know the disease. I feel there has got to be a way to help those who are currently not doing as well."

The Myeloma Institute remains at the forefront of research. The institute's research team draws from more than 3,000 samples of bone marrow and 19,000 tissue samples to aid its attempts to discover myeloma's relationship to genetics. Barlogie said the institute's staff has identified 17 genes that show a relationship to the disease.

The institute also has a database of 8,000 patients and their responses to treatments, Barlogie said. The database allows researchers to assess how well patients have responded to treatments and to predict what the response of individual patients will be to possible treatments, Barlogie said. The researchers and physicians can look at past patients with similar characteristics to determine the appropriate treatment method, Barlogie said.

"I think it's just an issue of as I get older and as I understand more about the disease every day doing it in the context of basic research allows us to understand why we succeed and why we fail. And learning more, literally every day, that is very exciting," Barlogie said. "One almost lives and breathes the disease every day."

David Smith, executive director of the International Myeloma Foundation, said the Myeloma Institute's focus sets it apart.

"I know that by creating an institution that is focused primarily on multiple myeloma, they are different," Smith said. "They are the only one that focuses on that."

He called multiple myeloma an "orphan cancer," because only about 1 percent of cancer patients have the disease. The institute's focus on myeloma has also helped produce many physicians and researchers who have contributed to the disease's treatment after leaving Little Rock.

"[The Myeloma Foundation] is gaining a reputation as a training ground for people treating myeloma," Smith said. As he travels, Smith said, he constantly meets people who spent time training at the Myeloma Institute.

The IMF also enjoys a solid relationship with the Myeloma Institute. Bonnie Jenkins, a nurse at the institute, serves on the IMF's nurse leadership board. Susie Novis, IMF president, and Dr. Brian Durie, the board's chairman, have also known Barlogie since he began treating the disease in the United States, Smith said.

They Keep Coming Back

At 6:45 p.m. on a Wednesday night, Jenkins, director of program coordination for the institute, was working to find a new flight out of Little Rock for a patient who required a PET scan the following morning. The patient's flight was departing the following morning.

"There is an airplane; I just need to find the seat," she said, adding that she will probably need to "strong-arm" the airline. Jenkins, 64, has worked with Barlogie for 19 years and said her job is to work the same schedule he works.

"What Little Rock needs to understand is the people fall in love with Little Rock," she said about the patients.

Such was the case with Scheider, Jenkins said. Scheider began frequenting the clinic about two years ago, she said. At the request of Scheider's wife, Brenda Siemer, Jenkins became his "Little Rock date," spending time with the actor during his visits.

Scheider loved the interaction with many of the residents, who were "very respectful," she said. Rarely, Jenkins said, would someone approach him and quote his character's most famous line from "Jaws": "You're gonna' need a bigger boat." However, many residents could not resist asking for autographs at his favorite restaurants like Café Prego, where Penne Pasta Barlogie is on the menu, she said.

Jenkins also told many other stories of patients like Scheider who came to love the city.

Economic Impact An economic impact study conducted in 2002 by the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock concluded that the Myeloma Institute's patients spent $23 million in the state in fiscal year 1999. The study also concluded that the institute's economic impact on the state is more than $166 million.

The study was based on statistics that concluded 1,600 patients come to the institute, well below the current estimate of about 2,250 patients. The study found that the institute drew 3,312 people to the state when those people accompanying patients were factored in.

If the average total spent by the patients is multiplied by the current estimate of 2,250 patients, then visitor the institute brings to Arkansas spend about $32.3 million a year.

Dr. Jeffrey Zwerin of Napa, Calif., was the recipient of the institute's 7,000th stem-cell transplant. Napa and Little Rock are about 1,750 miles from each other, but Zwerin said the travel was worth it.

He also said the money he spent in the area on rent, food, gas, entertainment and other expenses was worth it. Zwerin spent about $12,000 during his stay, he said - about $1,700 a month.

Zwerin stayed in an apartment in west Little Rock during his treatment, which lasted about seven months, he said. The ability to stay in a dwelling with his wife, Sharon, made the process more enjoyable. The hospital also focused on making his stay comfortable, he said.

"They would greet me at the door; they had a valet service," Zwerin said.

The level of treatment the Myeloma Institute could provide was the primary reason for choosing the center, he said.

"They treat more people with multiple myeloma than any other center," he said. "I was just number 7,000 by serendipity. I didn't ask. It's testament that they've done [stem-cell replacement] so many times, they must be good at it."

The experience also leads to "seamless integration" Zwerin said. The staff members at the Myeloma Institute focus on the treatment of multiple myeloma, Zwerin said.

"When you deal with the same problem every day, you become an expert," Zwerin said.

"Most people say, 'Go to Sloan-Kettering or go to the Mayo Clinic,'" he said, referring to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the Mayo Cancer Clinic's three locations. "I am so happy I went [to UAMS], and there is not a doubt in my mind that they saved my life."

He's even looking forward to a return trip this April for the sixth stage of his treatment. He said the area's golf courses had him "drooling" during his previous visit.

[theman]

In light of the current condition of the airline industry, I agree with the approach that Little Rock National Airport is taking in regards to an updated terminal.

LR airport changing course on terminal

By Noel E. Oman
Arkansas Democrat Gazette


LITTLE ROCK — Turbulence in the airline industry has all but grounded dreams of building a new terminal at the state’s largest airport.

Instead, a consultant Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field, hired to study options for the aging terminal suggests making significant improvements over time to accomplish essentially the same things.

“You’ll get a new terminal in the long term, but you don’t have to spend the money now to get there,” Greg Detmar of Jacobs Consultancy said.

The airport can ill afford the estimated $230 million cost of a new terminal amid the ongoing problems of the airline industry, beset by record-high fuel prices and a slowing economy, Detmar told members of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission on Tuesday.

For May delivery, light, sweet crude - oil that’s easier to refine than other oils because it has less sulfur - jumped to a record-high $119.37 on Tuesday. Four airlines have filed for bankruptcy or have gone out of business in the past month. Last week, Delta Airlines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., both of which have flights out of Little Rock, reached a deal to become the world’s largest carrier in an effort to squeeze more efficiency out of their operations.

A member of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission who has been focused on building a new terminal for nearly three years declined to rule out the possibility. Still, Jimmy Moses acknowledged the dream seems unattainable now.

“It looks like the direction we’re heading is we will evolve it into a new terminal,” Moses said.

The terminal opened in 1972 with a forecasted capacity of 1 million passengers annually. It now handles more than twice that amount, and airport officials wonder how much more efficiency they will be able to wring out of the terminal a decade or more into the future.

The terminal’s 212,000 square feet is 30,000 square feet short of industry standards for the 2.4 million passengers who go through it each year. On the basis of travel projections, the terminal could need another 100,000 square feet in a few years, consultants for the airport have said.

The early terminal planning work that favored building a new terminal was based on a different economic model, Moses said. “We’re going to have to be more mindful of costs than when we first started.”

Still, the changes Jacobs Consultancy envisions would transform the terminal profoundly in a few short years.

Detmar, who later held a separate meeting with airline executives to brief them on the terminal planning process, displayed four possible alternatives. All included new road designs leading into and out of the airport. They also would increase the number of gates to at least 15 from the dozen now, move passenger security to the first level, expand the concourse and separate departing and arriving passengers.

The alternatives also offer a gate that can be used for international flights.

The alternatives would be refined continually based on input from different segments of the community before the commission makes a final decision in June, Detmar said.

The presentation left Moses impressed by the scope of the proposed improvements.

“Five years from now, you’re going to see a far different physical environment than you do now,” Moses said.

Jacobs might be on the right track, judging from illustrations the consultant displayed showing the transformation of the terminal in stages, said Ron Mathieu, Little Rock National’s interim executive director.

“If you come back in 2023, you will say that’s a new terminal,” Mathieu said. “But what you’re doing is building it in steps as the demand and the need present [themselves].”

An estimated price tag on phasing in the improvements won’t be ready until next month, Detmar said. But the costs probably will be more palatable if they are phased in over time and, therefore, “much more acceptable to the community,” said Bob East, another member of the commission.

Jacobs was hired in December to lead the planning for the terminal’s future. The Federal Aviation Administration last year approved spending $5 million in passenger facility charges on the planning. Passenger facility charges are the proceeds of a $4.50 fee added to the price of each ticket of boarding passengers at the airport.

The first planning phase will have a cost not exceeding $727,000.

Meanwhile, the existing terminal undergoes fairly constant change. Earlier this year, airport officials updated the seating area in baggage claim, providing 18 tables for people waiting on flights. People also have access to real-time flight information monitors and closed-circuit television that allows them to see passengers as they arrive. AStarbucks is scheduled to open next month in the same area.

The airport already is in the early stages of installing an inline baggage system to triple the capacity of the bags it handles. The passenger security screening area is being expanded to eliminate long lines, and ticket counter space is increasing.

The improvements will remove “immediate impediments to growth,” Mathieu said.

[theman]

Renovated Junction Bridge to Open Saturday

By Jamie Walden
Arkansas Business.com


After a $5.8 million renovation that started last June, the Junction Railroad Bridge is poised to open Saturday.

The bridge leads up to the front lawn of Alltel Arena on the North Little Rock shore and to the Riverfront Amphitheater on the Little Rock side.

The opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. will include tying two 900-foot ribbons together.

"I hope [the bridge] will bring the cities closer together," said Billie Ann Myers, chair of the Junction Bridge board of directors. "It's a connector. Rivers tend to divide, but bridges connect. And that's what we're hoping for."

Myers said she hopes the structure will become a destination, a perch for both tourists and natives to relax and enjoy the shimmering cityscapes.

Eventually, some vendors may even set up shop on the structure as an added convenience.

The pedestrian and bicycle bridge will also be available for reservation for special events. "I also foresee people are going to want to use it for activities like a wedding or a reception," Myers said. She added that the American Taekwondo Association has already indicated interest in using the bridge as a route between Alltel Arena and the Little Rock Statehouse Convention Center, the two primary locations used for the annual ATA World Championships.

As for the funding of the project, which started at about $4.8 million, 80 percent came from the federal transportation budget through the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department. The remaining 20 percent came from the road and bridge funds of Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County, according to a press release.

Some of the added cost, Myers said, came from upgrading the elevators and elevator shafts to glass instead of an opaque metal and adding benches and trash cans.

The 17-foot wide Junction Bridge, 3 feet wider than the Big Dam Bridge, is the fifth component of the Six Bridges Plan developed in 1999 by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Donaghey Project for Urban Studies & Design. The plan focused on renovating and maintaining the Interstate 30 Bridge, Main Street Bridge, Broadway Bridge, Junction Bridge and the Rock Island Bridge near the Clinton Presidential Library, the renovation of which has been delayed by funding and design issues.

But the Junction Bridge, which for so long had only historical significance, has finally begun to provide some practicality by alleviating some of the parking concerns of land-locked downtown businesses. Dickey-Stephens Park, Myers said, has been informing its patrons that they will soon be able to park in Little Rock and walk to the field. In addition, Alltel Arena will without a doubt benefit from the intercity route.

During the past several years, Little Rock and North Little Rock have worked at becoming more walkable cities. Now with the Junction Bridge in place, people can enjoy a foot-friendly evening on both shores.

[theman]

Development Talk Trails Parking Sale

By George Waldon
Arkansas Business.com


The idea of building an 18-20 story hotel/parking deck development in downtown Little Rock that could weigh in north of $50 million is gaining a wider audience. Who would make it happen and when the project would launch construction are among the laundry list of important details still up in the air.

For now, the idea is a drawing-board dream of convention boosters. One scenario receiving attention is to redevelop a parking lot and historic mixed-use building into a 300-400 room hotel with 20,000-25,000 SF of meeting space topping a 650-750-slot parking deck.

The grand redevelopment would require gutting the 84-year-old Democrat Printing & Lithograph Building, now home to apartments, retail space and Arkansas Business Publishing Group at the northwest corner of Scott and Second streets.

The facade of the DP&L Building could be incorporated into the parking deck's exterior to preserve its architectural character. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 17, 1998, as part of the failed Block 2 redevelopment.

CSK Hotels of Fort Smith, which owns the adjoining 0.4-acre parking lot at the southwest corner of Markham and Scott streets, has a different vision.

Storm Nolan, CSK Hotels partner, isn't sure that the $50 million-plus dream project will ever become reality. And if it does, it won't involve his company.

"What they want is a full-service hotel with a lot more rooms than we're interested in doing," Nolan said. "We don't feel it's an appropriate investment. We look at the numbers and don't see how it will work."

His firm is interested in developing a $15 million Aloft Hotel on the parking lot. The project would have 130 rooms and rise to 10-12 stories, with on-site parking for about 30 vehicles.

The remaining parking needs would be met through valet parking at nearby decks and lots, the same arrangement used by other downtown hotels.

CSK's plans for the property are on hold because the city has an option to purchase it. The agreement, tied to the property since 1999, includes conditions that now make it impractical for the city to buy the property by exercising the option as well as making it very expensive for CSK to buy out the city's option.

"Right now, the option isn't doing anybody any good," Nolan said. "Downtown is a great area, and we hope we can contribute to it. I think the city will eventually allow us to build a hotel. We'll see."

In the meantime, CSK is content to collect parking fees on its $950,000 acquisition. The lot generates revenue of more than $65,000 annually.

Competing Offers

The Little Rock Advertising & Promotions Commission is mulling over its options after making an unsuccessful run to buy the parking lot from Paul Esterer and Todd Rice.

The A&P Commission thought it was about to finalize a deal to buy the parking lot earlier this year only to discover that CSK had submitted a competing offer.

Gene Fortson, a member of the Little Rock A&P Commission, said Rice approached the city about buying the property and talks later shifted to the A&P Commission.

"We made a contingent offer of $900,000, subject to 45 days for due diligence and the approval of A&P Commission," he said.

Fortson said Rice relayed a verbal counteroffer of $950,000 with no conditions and closing in only a few days.

The counter offer was "destined to be turned down," Fortson said. "I was disappointed."

Rice said it was at least six months from the initial contact about selling the property until the last contact with the city.

"It just didn't work out," he said. "There were details that were involved that just didn't work. The other guys stepped up and got it done, and the city didn't."

Rice said the offer from CSK Hotels came out of the blue during negotiations with the city's A&P commission.

"They contacted us," Rice said. "They sought us out. We went under contract with them and closed the deal."

CSK's Storm Nolan said his company had been scouting for a site in downtown Little Rock for awhile before Rice was first approached in February. He was surprised to learn the city had been trying to buy the property.

"We didn't find out about that until afterwards," Nolan said. "A week after we bought this, we found out they had been negotiating to buy it. We want to work with the city, and we don't want to be adversarial."

An added layer of complexity to the property that could come into play is an agreement giving the operators of The Peabody Little Rock the first right of refusal to develop a hotel on the parking lot owned by CSK.

The 10-year agreement, set to expire in 2010, is a product of the renegotiated lease on the Peabody project between the Peabody Hotel Group of Memphis and the city.

The "Tract B Agreement" was negotiated by the Peabody Hotel Group to protect its investment in redeveloping the Arkansas Excelsior Hotel into the Peabody. The city would have to own the property before provisions of the agreement could be triggered.

Following the unsuccessful attempt to buy the parking lot from Rice and Esterer, city officials have rattled the eminent domain saber as a possibility of forcing a sale outside the entangling restrictions of the option agreement.

A forced sale is among the possible courses of action on the table as the A&P Commission begins assessing the next move.

Property History

Ownership of the parking lot at the southwest corner of Markham and Scott streets in downtown Little Rock originally was split between two parties.

J. Chandler & Co., led by John Chandler, owned the eastern and western portions of the property, and Lawrence and Verna Fisher owned an 8,100-SF strip in the middle.

Although it was the smallest piece of the development puzzle, the Fisher property carried a premium price tag. Block 2 LLC, led by Paul Esterer and Todd Rice, paid $500,000 for it on June 29, 1999.

The Chandler pieces of the parking lot were acquired on Nov. 4, 1998, as part of a $1.4 million deal with Block 2 LLC that included the seven-story, 85,000-SF Archer Drug Building at 107 E. Markham St.

That same day, Democrat Printing & Lithographing Co. sold its namesake 82,000-SF building at 114 E. Second St. to Block 2 LLC for $650,000.

A 30-foot wide strip on the south end of the parking lot later was peeled off to accommodate the development of a retail annex on the north side of the neighboring DP&L Building.

Today, that retail space is home to Crush Wine Bar, the vacant Block 2 management offices (which will soon be occupied by employees of Arkansas Business Publishing Group), River Market Wine & Spirits and Gifts of Arkansas. The row of parking slots in front of the annex is part of the Block 2 project.

The remaining parking area, about 0.4 acres, was kept separate.

Though assembled in conjunction with the Block 2 project, the parking lot was not used to secure the development funding, which included an $11.5 million government guaranteed loan. The DP&L Building, Archer Drug and Wallace Building were.

These properties were taken over by LSF5 Block 2 LLC after the affiliate of Lone Star U.S. Acquisition LLC of Dallas bought the long-in-default loan for $7.5 million in September 2007 from the Department of Housing & Urban Development and foreclosed on it in March.

Lone Star is clearing out apartment tenants in the DP&L Building as leases expire, a move thought to precede converting the 32 units to condominium space. The company also is pushing short-term leases for the office and retail tenants.

On April 30, DTLR Partners LLC of Fort Smith (an affiliate of CSK Hotels) bought the parking lot for $950,000 from Block 2 Development LLC (formerly known as Block 2 LLC), led by Esterer and Rice.

[theman]

LR airport terminal OK’d for redesign

By Noel E. Oman
Arkansas Democrat Gazette


LITTLE ROCK — The Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission approved on Tuesday a recommended plan for a renovated terminal that will be phased in over the next two decades.

The commission accepted a consultant’s recommendation that essentially retains the outline of the existing terminal at Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field, with extensive modifications.

The changes will include moving an expanded passenger security checkpoint from the upper level to the lower level, adding five gates to the 12 now, adding a bypass for non airport traffic, building two roads - one for buses and taxis, and the other for private vehicles - leading into and out of the airport, and a host of other improvements.

“As we go through this with a lot more research, that may change,” said Ron Mathieu, the airport executive director.

Little Rock National Airport Plan
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Planning documents call for the terminal changes to be done in phases over the next 15 years and be guided by market conditions and the money available, officials said.

“When you finish this, in thelong-term, it will effectively be a new terminal,” said Greg Detmar, an executive with Jacobs Consultancy, an international planning and management firm.

But commission members like that they don’t have to commit to building it all now.

“We’re not saying commit to a $300 million project,” said Bob East, a commission member.

Jacobs Consultancy was hired in December to lead the planning for the terminal’s future.The Federal Aviation Administration last year approved spending $5 million in passenger-facility charges on the planning. Passenger-facility charges are the proceeds of a $4.50 fee added to the price of each ticket of boarding passengers at the airport.

The commission, uneasy about the economic health of the aviation industry, decided earlier this year to scrap preliminary plans to build a newterminal and move forward with a large-scale reworking of the existing terminal, which is nearly 36 years old and will be more than 50 years old by the time all of the improvements have been made.

Little Rock National has lost some flights and has seen demand slacken for the flights it does offer - 7,500 fewer passengers have gone through its gates this year than at the same time in 2007. But the airport has escaped the harsher cutbacks in flights that some other airports, large and small, have undergone in this summer of record oil prices.

As a result, the decision to forgo building a new terminal and instead modernize and expand the existing one over the next couple of decades is the correct one, Detmar told the commission at its monthly meeting.

“You’ve got a good base to work from,” he said. Industrywide cutbacks in flights “reinforce” the decision to “incrementally redevelop the terminal.”

The formal planning process now moves into a second phase, providing airport officials a blueprint on the best course to upgrade the terminal. Over the next seven months or so, consultants will figure out when to phase in which improvements, refine the design and arrive at a way to pay for the work, Mathieu said.

“We have to figure out how to execute it,” he said.

Another part of the secondphase will be a detailed forecast of future passenger levels. Jacobs Consultancy workers crunched some numbers about a month ago, when oil prices were at their most recent peak, and revised downward passenger levels for the balance of this year and through the next.

Jacobs Consultancy predicts that Little Rock National will handle 1.252 million passengers this year, down from the 1.274 million it handled in 2007. However, oil prices have since moderated.

Mathieu said the terminal’s recommended design will incorporate some work already being done, notably on a new inline baggage system, whichwill triple the capacity of the bags the airport can handle.

The system was designed for use in the existing terminal or in a new terminal. Now, it can be easily incorporated into the new design. The same project also includes reworking the ticket area, which also can be part of the renovated terminal.

“That is technically the redevelopment of the terminal, now,” Mathieu said.

The Parsons Group, another consultant, is doing preliminary work on the baggage system and ticketing area as well as on an upgraded passenger-checkpoint area. A status report on its work will be presented to the commission next month.

[urbanactivist]

Great news for Little Rock!! I've been hoping that the airport would expand, but wasn't expecting to hear about it with the downslide in air travel. Is there any mention of incorporation for the RiverRail (or some new, faster streetcar system)?

[sakyle04]

pictures?