Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority rehires consultant for Union Pacific conference

In a follow-up to the July 18 meeting of the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority (WAIA, formerly RITA), the governing board voted by email ballot late last week to approve of hiring an outside consultant for the Short Line Railroad & Port Conference hosted by Union Pacific on Aug. 14 and 15.

The conference will take place in Omaha, Neb., and WAIA will send Rep. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, a consultant to the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD), WAIA’s administrative arm. Additionally, WAPDD Executive Director Sasha Grist will attend.

The pair were invited by UP Manager of Ports David Black, and they will be joined by John Vickerman of Vickerman & Associates. Vickerman was rehired at a fee of $5,000 for the conference. The fee includes travel expenses and professional time. Vickerman previously performed the 8-month, $200,050 study that led to a six-month memorandum of understanding with Ports America. The MOU will expire around the time of WAIA’s October meeting. At the previous meeting, Pitsch said the Board was “kind of relying on Sasha and me to be representative of what it is you have and what it is you do, and I worry that we have the expertise to talk to Fortune 50 companies about the technology.”

“We’re here because we have regional people supporting this, and at some level, we looked very expert when we had (Vickerman) on our team. But like, this Omaha trip, it’s COO-type stuff instead of CEO,” and that’s something the WAIA Board “needs to think about,” Pitsch said, adding “what’s the next phase, and what kind of level of technology and understanding do we need to have to have credibility?”

Pitsch told the Board a consultant was “something we need to think about as we’re moving down this track because it seems like other people are ready to play. And that’s good.”

On April 20, Union Pacific — acting in response to the March MOU — designated the Fort Smith region as one of its official “hotspots.” The company’s website lists a possible future facility as the Northwest Arkansas Regional Port, which would be located within a
2,000-acre tract encompassing Arkansas Highway 59, Van Buren, and Crawford County.

Among the highlights, UP writes, “Ports America envisions a multi-commodity, multi-modal facility capable of handling and storing all types of cargo. The site is strategically located adjacent to the Arkansas River, Union Pacific’s rail line, and highways I-40 and I-49. Ports America plans to leverage Union Pacific’s rail connectivity to the site and vast rail network to service both import and export cargo.”

During the conference, Pitsch and Grist will have the chance to pitch the region’s strengths to UP’s marketing department and other key decision-makers.