Jonesboro to receive $1 million grant for safety and infrastructure improvements

Jonesboro will be awarded another seven-figure appropriation for safety and industrial infrastructure improvements, Mayor Harold Copenhaver announced Thursday (March 21).

The city will receive a $1 million grant from the 2024 Transportation-HUD appropriations bill and was supported by U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro. It will provide $500,000 in utility routing for a recently purchased addition to the Craighead Technology Park and $500,000 toward improvements to the Jonesboro Real-Time Crime Center.

“Projects like the Craighead Technology Park are investments in the community and are vital to attracting new businesses and industries to Jonesboro, which bring high-wage jobs to the area. Northeast Arkansas has a vibrant workforce and many economic benefits that businesses seek, ensuring that our infrastructure is up to date is a large piece of the equation. While the federal investment is only about 20 percent, I’m proud to be a part of these efforts to bring economic growth to the First District and job opportunities to its residents,” Crawford said.

Copenhaver said the grant is a win for both residents and the technology-industrial park in Jonesboro.

“When we talk about improving Jonesboro, infrastructure for new jobs and resources to continue investing in public safety have to be priorities,” he said. “This funding aids that goal, and I thank Congressman Crawford for his efforts in navigating this funding through the federal process.”

In 2021, Jonesboro Economic Development Commission and City Water and Light jointly purchased more than 600 acres adjacent to the existing Craighead Technology Park. The half-million dollar funding stream will start the process of bringing utility infrastructure to the property.

On the public safety side, $500,000 in funding will go toward improvements in the city’s Real-Time Crime Center, which has grown to include more than 700 cameras and critical integration software that provides JPD with information to solve crimes. It also provides city engineers with visual data to improve traffic conditions and solve repetitive safety issues.

“The Real-Time Crime Center has proven to be a valuable asset for Jonesboro and surrounding communities,” Copenhaver said. “The regional buy-in has created a larger footprint of information sharing that has proven beneficial in catching wrong-doers — who previously would have been long gone by the time we exhausted conventional investigation tactics.”