Top 5 business/economy story — No. 3: Intermodal authority

Editor’s note: With the days, weeks and months seemingly passing faster than ever, it can be difficult to remember what happened yesterday much less the past six months. To that end, The City Wire will during the next three weeks highlight the top 5 stories of the first half of 2009 in the following categories: Business/economy, political, and cultural. The top 5 business/economy stories will be counted down between July 20 and July 24; the political top 5 between July 27 and July 31; and the top 5 cultural between Aug. 3 and Aug. 7.

The effort to create a regional intermodal authority began again in earnest on Feb. 18, and resulted in a May 27 meeting in which key governmental and business leaders in Crawford and Sebastian counties agreed to push the effort.

The Western Arkansas Planning and Development District is shepherding the process to identify the viability of creating a formal organization that would develop, maintain and/or operate intermodal/port facilities. The goal is to create a structure and facilities “that would enhance regional freight management and advance the competitiveness of the region’s business,” according to WAPDD information. In other words, the group hopes to maximize the use of all forms of transportation — rail, barge, air, interstate — so as to reduce shipping costs and increase service options for regional business and industries. Efforts to create a regional freight system were first attempted in the early 1990s.

Mat Pitsch, the former vice president-economic development at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and past faculty member at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, was hired in April to manage the process.

On June 29, the intermodal task force agreed to an 11-page document that would be submitted to the governing boards in the two counties and in Fort Smith and Van Buren.

Among many other legal details, the document to be considered would create a 12-member board based on the following appointments:
• The mayor of each city (Fort Smith and Van Buren) will appoint three members — one member must be a government or elected official, one member must represent a manufacturer or shipper, and one member must be a city resident.

• The county judges of each county (Crawford and Sebastian counties) will appoint three members — one member must be a government or elected official, one member must represent a manufacturer or shipper, and one member must be a county resident.

The Crawford County Quorum Court approved the document July 13. The Van Buren City Council approved the document July 20, and the Fort Smith Board of Directors and Sebastian County Quorum Court approved the document July 21.

PREVIOUS TOP 5 BUSINESS/ECONOMY STORIES
No. 5 — The Compass Report
No. 4 — Economic development changes