Jonesboro mayor gives state of the city address

Jonesboro’s population is rapidly approaching 100,000 residents in the city and many infrastructure projects are planned or underway to meet these needs, Mayor Harold Copnehaver told Talk Business & Politics. 

He recently spoke at the Kiwanis Club of Greater Jonesboro and noted that since he was first elected more than five years ago the city’s population has topped 84,000 – a more than 15% spike during that period. Copenhaver assured those in attendance that civic leaders have a strategy moving forward. 

“We have a plan … Jonesboro is thriving,” he said. 

Infrastructure, public safety, and quality of living improvements are among the top focuses of city government. Currently, there are about $100 million worth of road projects throughout the city. 

Some of those road projects include a widening of South Caraway, sidewalks and about $3 million in road overlays and improvements to drainage. About $500,000 is slated to be spent on the six miles of railroad line owned by the city, and the mayor noted that there is more than 600 miles of roads in Jonesboro. 

“We have to continue to improve our infrastructure,” he added. 

The city is set to invest about $40 million in public safety improvements. A new 911 public safety center has been slated for construction and when Copenhaver became mayor the city had only 12 safety cameras. That number has ballooned to more than 800. 

Each year the city about 11,000 public safety calls, and despite the population growth the crime rate hasn’t increased, he said. Violent crimes are down to their lowest level in a decade, according to the Jonesboro Police Department. 

“We haven’t added crime … we reduced it,” he said. 

Jonesboro is currently building a new park in the northern part of the city and that project is about 60% complete. The city’s largest public works project ever – the $77 million Ridge Athletics Center – has steadily progressed. 

The main structure will include 12 basketball courts that can be converted into 24 volleyball courts, 36 pickleball courts, and a natatorium. The natatorium plan has a 50-meter pool, a competition diving pool, and a warm-up pool. The natatorium features seating for 1,245 spectators.

The 200,000-square-foot facility will also have an aquatic center, slide, a moving water feature, and other amenities.

The RAC is projected to have a $1 billion impact on the local economy during its lifespan, Copenhaver said. Annually, it will have a $43 million impact and will directly and indirectly support 950 jobs in the community.

“It’s going to be epic,” the mayor said.