Amphitheater opening, deer season part of FCRA meeting

story by Aric Mitchell
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Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) board members had a full plate on their hands at Thursday’s (June 16) regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

Highlights included the announcement of plans for the McClure Amphitheater’s September celebration, the granting of an extension for development to Comprehensive Juvenile Services’ plans for a Sebastian County Emergency Youth Shelter, and a one-year postponement of deer hunting season for the Chaffee Crossing development in 2011-2012.

FCRA Executive Director Ivy Owen announced that the McClure Amphitheater Renovation is gearing up for a September opening to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the groundbreaking at Camp Chaffee, which occurred on Sept. 20, 1941. Owen is not yet certain whether the celebration will occur on the actual date, but has indicated that 90% of the construction is complete and the remainder will be finished “within 10 days.” Owen told FCRA board members that OG&E is working with Chaffee Crossing’s contractors and grounds maintenance department to install underground wiring as needed.

“This should be a big, big celebration,” Owen said. “It will have a military theme to coincide with the anniversary date. Once that’s over, we’ll be open to the public and busy figuring out how to manage this animal we’ve created.”

Owen indicated that the McClure Amphitheater will be “a city-county park at some point” for Sebastian County and the city of Fort Smith.

“Our vision is going forward with that in mind,” Owen said.

Stalling at the FCRA meeting were plans for the Emergency Shelter, which were originally begun in 2005. Comprehensive Juvenile Services (CJS), the driving force behind the project, requested and was granted a 1-year extension to secure funding for the planned 16-bed facility that would serve troubled teens in the area. Executive Director John Furness said the facility would cost around $1.2 million, but only $300,000 has been collected, consisting of donations from private and foundational sources. The facility operates out of an 80-year old building in Cecil. Once funding is secure and construction is complete, CJS would relocate to the Chaffee Crossing area.

A second item of business that is also on hold at this time is the 2011-2012 deer hunting season. Board members unanimously decided to postpone the season and reevaluate next year.

“After looking at 2010 and talking with Game and Fish and looking at the land we’ve sold in recent months, we think it would be a good idea to wait another year and allow the deer population to build back up,” Owen said. “Last year, 23 doe and 7 buck were taken. We sold 70 deer permits. The year before that we had a waiting list. We think it would be a good idea to assimilate these land changes, so we’ll know what kind of effects are in store for us.”

One additional item up for action was a recommendation to request that the city of Fort Smith accept certain Chaffee Crossing streets as city-owned and -maintained. According to Owen, there “are approximately 10 miles of streets and include Terry, Taylor, Roberts, Wells Lake, Custer, Veterans, Fort Chaffee, Ward, and Darby streets.”

Board members granted the request. It will now be up for the city of Fort Smith to accept.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the FCRA will be July 21.