Van Buren council expedites vote on intermodal authority (Updated)

A change in schedule with the Van Buren City Council is proof that positive momentum is building in favor of creating the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority.

The Van Buren City Council, originally scheduled to discuss the authority with officials from the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District during its July 20 meeting, will now vote on whether to approve the authority.

Van Buren Mayor Bob Freeman said city council members have a good understanding of the issue from the publicity and other education efforts involved with the authority. Freeman said many people see the “significant positive impact” the authority will have on the region.

“I think they are ready to go ahead and act on it Monday night. They’ve followed what is going on, they understand it and they are ready to act,” Freeman told The City Wire. “

The authority requires approval from the governing bodies in Fort Smith and Van Buren, and the quorum courts in Crawford County and Sebastian County. The Crawford County  Quorum Court has approved the authority and the Fort Smith Board of Directors and Sebastian County Quorum Court are scheduled to vote July 21 on the authority.

According to the agreement to be considered by the four governing bodies, the primary purpose of the authority “shall be to acquire, equip, construct, maintain, and/or operate an intermodal facility or facilities” in the effort to improve shipping products into and out of the Fort Smith area. The regional multi-modal transportation authority is allowed under Act 690 of the 2001 Arkansas General Assembly.

Mat Pitsch, the former vice president of economic development at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce who begin May 1 as the point person to study and plan a regional intermodal operation, welcomed news of the Van Buren City Council voting change.

“I’m pleased with how people are looking at the facts of what can be done if we form a regional intermodal authority. They are like the other groups looking at this in that they see what a freight management system will do to help us bring in new jobs and help keep the jobs we have,” Pitsch said.

While not necessary for authority formation, the boards of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority on July 16 approved resolutions supporting the creation of the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority.

Updated info: The Van Buren Chamber of Commerce board passed on July 10 a resolution supporting creation of an intermodal authority. The resolution encouraged the Van Buren City Council and Crawford County Quorum Court to vote for creation of the authority.