Mickey?s Theme Park
by June 24, 2002 12:00 am 81 views
Mickey and Beth Richardson plan to develop their 185-acre ranch near Beaver Lake into a technology camp and eventually a multimillion dollar high-tech center.
Mickey Richardson, known internationally as MickeyLive, was the former Flash software spokesman for Macromedia Inc. in San Francisco before founding R3 Media Group Inc. in Fayetteville. He’s also the community business coordinator for the city’s Information Technology Education Center (ITech).
He started the Technology Twisters summer camp, which this year accepted 80 of 580 applicants.
The Richardsons own the base of Posy Mountain on the north side of Rogers and west of Beaver Lake. Portions of both the Lost Bridge and Posy Mountain areas are included in the ranch, which runs parallel to the lake.
Given the low-ball estimate of $3,000 per acre for undeveloped rural land in Benton County, the Richardson’s property is at least a $550,000 piece of real estate. By next year, Richardson said, he hopes to build eight 12-person cabins and a temporary conference facility that can house his technology camp.
Within 10 years, the goal is to have a state-of-the-art conference center that will include computer training rooms, a 600-seat presentation hall, a media center for broadcasting Web casts and a multilevel hotel and restaurant.
Architect Garth Hudgins of Ken Shireman & Associates P.A. is already working on the blue prints for the technology education resort that will be known as R3 Center.