Chamber issues top award to Van Buren Assistant Superintendent Lonnie Myers
by May 1, 2010 10:48 pm 174 views
Lonnie Myers received the Iverson Riggs Citizen of the Year Award to mark his 28 years with the Van Buren Public School System where he rose through the ranks as a teacher/coach at Van Buren High School to assistant superintendent of schools.
Myers, who is leaving for the superintendent job at Mountain Home, received the award during Saturday’s (May 1) 55th Annual banquet of the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce.
The Iverson Riggs award was created in 1987 to honor the founder and publisher of the Van Buren Courier newspaper.
“The Iverson Riggs Memorial Citizen of the Year Award is a special honor that allows the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce to pay tribute to someone who has worked tirelessly for the betterment of others,” according to the chamber literature.
The banquet began with a business fair featuring 26 exhibitors who were seen by the several hundred banquet attendees.
Van Buren Chamber Board Chairman Marty Shell said 2009 was a tough year economically, but the region saw several positives. He cited the decision by Houston-based Oxane to locate a manufacturing operation and bring up to 50 jobs in 2010, the new jobs at Mars Petcare at Chaffee Crossing and the Mitsubishi announcement as good news for Van Buren and the region.
Shell also praised the growing realization among metro area communities of the benefits of working better together on economic development matters. He noted that on a line at Mars Petcare at Chaffee Crossing, six of the 12 new hires were from Van Buren.
“So there you had those families here in Van Buren benefitting from those jobs in another area,” Shell said.
The creation of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Authority (RITA) also was cited by Shell as an important development during 2009. RITA was formed in August 2009 with the broad goal 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. The governing boards in Crawford and Sebastian counties and Fort Smith and Van Buren had to approve the authority.
“When you get 32 elected officials to all vote yes on something, you have accomplished something with that alone,” Shell said.
Shell reminded the audience that RITA officials will meet May 17 with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood to discuss Interstate 49, railroad infrastructure funding and funding for 12-foot channel work on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
“RITA has gone from just forming to a flat-out run,” Shell said of the newly formed group.
He also praised the recent creation of a regional alliance of chambers and cities in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. More than 40 Oklahoma and Arkansas business and political leaders gathered in the Fort Smith area April 20 took the first formal steps to try for a third time to create a regional economic development alliance.
