First Western Bank Plans Expansion

First Western Bank has announced two expansion projects that together will cost about $2.6 million.

The bank’s Northwest Arkansas Regional Headquarters in downtown Rogers will expand from 5,400 SF to a 16,000-SF facility.

First Western Chairman and CEO John Hampton said the regional headquarters at 401 W. Walnut St. needed more room as a result of the bank’s growth in the area. Construction will begin in the spring on the $1.5 million project. It is expected to be completed by December 2003.

Perry L. Butcher & Associates of Rogers is the architectural firm.

The regional headquarters’ expansion will add about 20 new jobs over a three-year period.

Hampton also announced on Nov. 14 that First Western will add a full-service branch at 2600 Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers near Interstate 540. The $1.1 million, 3,000-SF facility initially will house about five employees. Construction will begin on the branch bank next summer with a target date for completion of March 2004.

Hampton also hinted that First Western could announce three or four more locations in the next few months.

First Western Bank, which is privately held by First Western Bancshares Inc., has about $200 million in assets with 86 employees and nine locations in Arkansas, including Rogers, Bentonville, Bella Vista, Booneville, Clarksville and Magazine.

Embach Wants to Build Lowell Seniors’ Apartments

Thomas Embach of Leisure Homes Corp. in Mountain Home on Oct. 25 got two loans totaling $1.5 million to build a new senior citizen apartment complex in Lowell.

The future of the 65-unit Lowell Senior Citizen Apartments still hinges on approval from the Lowell Planning Commission.

Embach hopes to have one 40-unit building and another 25-unit building. Each unit would be about 1,000 SF.

Embach purchased the 1.28 acres at 301 Robinson Ave. in Lowell for the project. He got a $1.2 million loan from People’s Bank & Trust of Mountain Home and another $300,000 loan from the Arkansas Development Finance Authority.

Embach also built Mill Creek Apartments on Rhodes Avenue near the Springdale Police Department. That apartment complex, also a senior citizen development, opened earlier this year.

The apartments are designed for people age 55 and over. The Springdale complex includes a community building with a kitchen, craft room, large meeting area, manager’s office and laundry room. A full-time manager lives on site.

Har-Ber Meadows Gets Upscale Townhouses

Joy Drummonds, principal in Payton Place LLC, recently purchased building permits valued at a combined $1.1 million to add four townhouse buildings at a west Springdale subdivision.

Each building at Har-Ber Meadows subdivision will have two units. Two of the buildings are already complete. The last two will be complete Feb. 1. They are all located on Sundrops Court on the west side of Har-Ber Meadows.

The units range from 2,308 to 2,520 SF, with two of the units having an additional 250 SF of possible bonus room. They are two-level town homes with master bedroom suites downstairs. They also have gas fireplaces, wood floors, marble showers, Jacuzzis, security systems, sound systems, central vacuuming systems, oversized garages, irrigation systems, landscaping, etc.

Elder Continues Construction at Springdale’s Hidden Lake

Chris Elder of Elder Construction Co. in Springdale on Nov. 7 purchased four building permits valued at a combined $1.01 million to add more quadplexes at an east Springdale subdivision.

Hidden Lake subdivision is just off U.S. Highway 412. Each of the new quadplexes are on Hidden Lake Street, and each unit will be about 1,100 SF.

Commerce Park Gets Final Touches

Ben Israel of Joyce Street LLC and B.W. Dykes on Oct. 28 got a loan of $718,050 from Community Bank of North Arkansas in Fayetteville to finish out Commerce Park.

The loan was to complete the final interior work within the four buildings in the business park, which has 71,000 SF. Israel said all but 10,000 SF has been leased.

Israel’s Dixie Construction Co. is the general contractor. Dixie Development and many of its subsidiaries recently moved from Springdale into their new offices at Commerce Park.

Fayetteville Funeral Home Ready for New Location

Nelson-Berna Funeral Home on Nov. 23 purchased a building permit valued at $678,000 to built a new facility in northeast Fayetteville.

Nelson-Berna Funeral Home is moving into a 7,800-SF facility on the northeast corner of Zion Road and Arkansas Highway 265 just north of the Fayetteville-Springdale Elks Lodge and just south of the Fayetteville and Springdale city limits line. The new address will be 4520 N. Crossover Road.

The funeral home was founded in 1936 and has been at its current location on the corner of Joyce Boulevard and North College Avenue since 1969.

Hunnicutt Construction Co. of Fayetteville is the general contractor on the project.

Engineering Services Inc. of Springdale originally presented the plans for the building to the Fayetteville Planning Commission on behalf of Scott Berna, owner of Nelson-Berna Funeral Home.

The new facility will be on 3.12 acres. Berna said the new location will give the funeral home more visibility in both Fayetteville and Springdale. He hopes to be in the new facility by April.

Riggins Construction Continues Welsh Addition

Darin Riggins of Riggins Construction and Riggins Properties recently purchased six building permits valued at a combined $585,480 to build more homes at an east Rogers subdivision.

Welsh subdivision is off Arkansas Highway 94 heading toward Monte Ne. The latest homes going up there are between 1,748-1,849 SF and are all located on South K Street.

Easterling Adds Four at Flowing Springs

John Easterling Construction of Springdale on Oct. 29 got four loans totaling a combined $684,800 from First Federal Bank to add homes at a south Springdale subdivision.

Flowing Springs subdivision is located just north of Johnson. Easterling’s latest homes there will all be on Amberwood Street.

Each home is 2,200 SF.