Restart of FCRA dissolution talks uncertain

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net) 803 views 

Meetings expected in March to restart efforts toward dissolution of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) didn’t happen, and those involved say such efforts are on a slower track because of uncertainty and “loose ends.”

The FCRA was formed in 1997 to oversee redevelopment of 6,000 acres of land released by the U.S. Army from Fort Chaffee as part of a Base Realignment and Closure downsizing.

Questions around the trust’s future developed throughout 2023 and 2024 as many called for the dissolution of the trust. The cities of Barling, Fort Smith and Greenwood, and the Sebastian County Quorum Court passed resolutions in 2024 calling for FCRA dissolution. Only the authority board can vote to dissolve the organization. The three cities and the county are the four FCRA beneficiaries.

One reason the talks stalled was because of Fort Smith leadership “turmoil,” noted Barling City Administrator Steve Core. Carl Geffken, who was a vocal proponent of dissolution, was fired Dec. 10, 2024, as Fort Smith city administrator.

Sebastian County Judge Steve Hotz said early talks uncovered several issues that complicate FCRA dissolution, including a railroad track that costs more than $100,000 a year to maintain, and a hazardous landfill that will require some type of remediation.

“I think there are a lot of loose ends that need to be wrapped up before we get to that point,” Hotz said. “You know, the landfill, who wants that? Well, that’s the kind of stuff that before that property gets turned back into the hands of the (beneficiaries), nobody’s waiting to take that.”

Greenwood Mayor Doug Kinslow agreed with Hotz, saying “I’m not anxious” to have a decision in the next year, and acknowledged that the initial pace slowed once more was learned about all that is entailed to wrap up the FCRA.

“It’s not as clean a break as we initially thought,” he said.

Core, Hotz, and Kinslow did not predict when formal talks might restart.

“It’s kind of hard to say what is going to happen because there is so much going on out there,” Core said.

Core said potential and planned property sales by the FCRA complicate a dissolution, with the complication to ease once most of the property is sold.

“I think that the pressures will be there to wrap it up once all of that (land) is sold out,” Core said.

FCRA Executive Director Daniel Mann said his priority is to work with the beneficiaries and all other public and private entities and individuals to meet the original goals of the trust – which is primarily to place as much of the former military property as possible back into use.

“I believe the citizens and our partners recognize we are working hard to continue our redevelopment efforts and can see the tremendous progress we are making toward our goal of maximizing the value of the remaining land,” Mann said in a note to Talk Business & Politics. “We continue to progress forward to accomplish the original mission of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority Public Trust of redeveloping the land conveyed from the federal government and we look forward to the day when we can say ‘Mission Accomplished.’”

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