River Flotilla follow up meeting planned

A spring conference is being planned as a follow-up to 2011’s Arkansas River Revival Flotilla, according to Van Buren Advertising & Promotion Commission Executive Director Maryl Koeth. Koeth said she’s targeting May 15 and 16 for the dates, though “nothing is final” until the Commission’s Feb. 9 meeting.

Koeth hopes the Fort Smith Convention Center can serve as host of the event, since the planned dates would coincide with the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission’s two-day private meeting on May 16 and 17.

Koeth said the event will address the impact of the Panama Canal project on the Arkansas River and water transportation business within the state. She also expects to talk more about tourism and recreation along the river.

“Right now there is very little of the river used for that,” Koeth said.

Part of the blame, according to the director, is a lack of infrastructure.

“Van Buren has a small marina, and we are very lucky to have it. It has fueling stations there for boats. There is also an oil company that can do diesel for boats that run on diesel. Our marina can provide services these boats need, and it also has a 10-passenger van, so people can move from the marina to Main Street or wherever they need to go.”

Koeth continued: “We need more of these types of facilities up and down the river to bring in more traffic. Because when people arrive, they shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, and sleep in our lodging properties. They have tourism dollars we are missing out on because we haven’t been able to come together and make the infrastructure happen.”

The director noted she is hopeful about a planned marina in Dumas, Ark.

“Why should I care what happens in Dumas?” she asked. “I should care because what happens in Dumas will make it easier for boats to get to Van Buren that aren’t getting here now. What is good for them is good for us.”

Koeth’s desire for developing tourism along the Arkansas River is one that stretches back two decades. It’s such a passion for her that she has trouble believing she’s been the executive director of Arkansas River Connections (ARC), for the last eight years.

In that time, ARC has worked closely with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Business School “to examine what other states with waterways are doing to become successful,” Koeth said.

“A lot of these big boats, and this is something we’ve known for quite a while, cannot go below one of the parallels to the Gulf during certain times of year. What they do is travel the inland waterways. We aren’t seeing the traffic the other inland waterways are seeing, and it’s because no one’s promoted the Arkansas River for that. We saw this, and said, ‘By George let’s start marketing the Arkansas River like we do the rest of the state,” Koeth said.

With Koeth and the ARC's efforts to reach out and bring Arkansas River tourism together, she clarifies that it's not about creating something that takes away from the communities themselves.

“It’s important we be what we are. Even Fort Smith and Van Buren, we have a shared history, but we’re different, and what we have to offer is different, as well it should be. It’s our identity. What’s important is for each community to figure out what they can do with the Arkansas River, how they can tie it to their roots, and use the river as much as possible,” Koeth said.