Fort Chaffee Redevelopment officials working on rail, port options

story by Marla Cantrell
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An update on the yet to be constructed Mitsubishi wind turbine plant was presented at Thursday’s (May 20) meeting of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority.

A preliminary crew from the Japanese wind turbine manufacturer has moved into Building 241 on Chaffee land to begin the process of building the 200,000-square-foot facility.

A construction manager has been hired and bids are now being taken for dirt work. Mitsubishi is planning to invest $100 million and bring 400 jobs to the area. Construction should take 18 months.

Ivy Owen, executive director, said he recently met with A&M Railroad about improving the existing rail service at Chaffee Crossing, which is a necessary move to lure industry to the area.

“We’re going to get the road bed built, so when we have a prospect comes to town we can take them down and show them where the rail is actually going to be,” Owen said.

And rail is not the only form of transportation moving forward. Judge David Hudson said the U.S. Corp of Engineers just approved a $50,000 study to see whether a port at Vasche-Grasse landing in Barling is a feasible option.

The industrial section of Chaffee continues to move forward. Owen said the air guns and rimfire manufacturer Umarex USA is in its final stages of construction and should open its 100,000-square-foot facility soon. Mars Petcare is now making plans to staff a third shift at its plant.

In other business, the board voted to accept Richard and Jennifer Millican’s offer to buy an 0.82 acre lot and the existing 7,500-square-foot building on that site for $65,000. The Millicans own Trotter Electric and plan to use the building as a warehouse for the company’s equipment. They also expect to spend another $40,000 on improvements.

The FCRA made $40,000 from shale mining on Chaffee land in April, bringing the total for the year to $129,000. The FCRA estimated it would bring in $1 million from mining by December 31. Two companies, C. Watts and Sons and Blake Construction are currently mining shale and transporting it to the nearby construction site of I-49.

The FCRA also has a new employee. Wayne Hall, who was already working part time as a grounds and maintenance assistant, was hired full time. Hall’s salary will be $12 per hour.

The next board meeting will be held on June 17.