02/10/2005

Update on the Technology Center for the Delta being built in Cross County, AR

The Technology Center for the Delta (February 10, 2005)

The building that will house the Technology Center for the Delta in Cross County is currently being remodeled. Construction should be completed in time for classes this fall if all goes well. The Technology Center for the Delta is a physical manifestation of what can happen when 20,000 residents of a rural Delta county invest in themselves and dare to be visionaries. The following is the “rest of the story” about the Technology Center and the remarkable promise that it holds, not just as a building but as a model for what can be done when people are committed to an idea.

When the citizens of Cross County embarked on a massive economic development program, they didn’t know exactly what they would achieve, but they knew some things were essential. In fact, they had reached the conclusion in about 1990 that they would have to invest in the future of their county before anyone else would. They mapped out a plan and decided, for the most part, to use a series of “sunset” targeted sales tax initiatives to finance selected projects. Examples include hospital and fire department upgrades, creation of a central recreation facility, a center for youth at risk, schools and water and sewer upgrades. All were geared to develop a community with the quality of life and infrastructure that would allow it to maintain and attract present and future employers.

In 1999 Cross County became the first in Arkansas to pass (by popular vote) a “sunset” sales tax to support county-wide economic development. This 1-percent 3-year targeted sales tax eventually resulted in about $4.5 million dollars to be used to take advantages of economic development opportunities in the county. The Cross County Economic Development Corporation, with a 30-member board, was created to guide the use of these funds.

Cross County’s partnership with UAEDI began in May 2001, when then University of Arkansas Dean of Engineering Otto Loewer spoke to the Rotary Club in Wynne about the role of his college in the economic development of Arkansas. At this meeting were a number of individuals who were on the Cross County Economic Development Corporation including Bill Thomas, a local businessman, Executive Director of the Cross County Economic Development Corporation and Cross County Chamber of Commerce, and a leader in the economic development initiative. The result was that after a series of discussions and trips back and forth between Wynne and Fayetteville, a partnership was created between the University of Arkansas and Cross County. Interestingly, the GENESIS Incubator where many of these meetings were held would prove to serve as the model for the future Technology Center for the Delta.

These “back and forth” meetings over several months led to three very important decisions. First, Cross County decided that if it wanted to prosper, then the region as a whole must begin to prosper. Secondly, as a matter of strategy towards regional prosperity, Cross County decided to create the “Technology Center for the Delta” as part of a comprehensive regionally-focused economic development initiative that would later become the impetus for the 9-county Crossroads Coalition. (The emergence of the Crossroads Coalition will be presented at a later time.) And thirdly, the Technology Center was to be more than a building. Rather, it was also to serve as a model for innovation in the region

In November 2002, the Cross County Economic Development Corporation, with commitments for programmatic offerings from the East Arkansas Community College (EACC), the Workforce Investment Board and the University of Arkansas, purchased a vacant 41,000 sq. ft. building to become the future home of the Technology Center for the Delta. The purchase price was $550,000. Income from EACC, the Workforce Investment Board and other tenants is expected to be sufficient to sustain the facility. Additional funding was and is being sought to remodel the building for full utilization by its occupants. However, Cross County has committed itself to finishing the project.

Of course, purchasing a building is one thing. Putting a space plan together for many different users is another. The need for such a plan led UAEDI in 2003 to create its first SEED (Students Engaged in Economic Development) project at the University of Arkansas. Bill Thomas and UAEDI approached Betty Loewer, an instructor in Interior Design, about using the Technology Center as a class project for her course in commercial space planning. Senior design students met with county officials and developed 26 different designs for the interior to accommodate the variety of uses envisioned for the Technology Center. Cross County officials then selected what they considered to be the best features of the various plans which then led to the development of a commercial design with construction drawings. “By providing the Cross County Economic Development Corporation with a variety of designs, the SEED project gave us a starting point and significantly shortened the process of interior renovation,” explained Bill Thomas. “We were able to see possibilities and focus more clearly on what was really necessary to accomplish our goals.”

It’s interesting to see what can happen when a community or organization with vision sets out on a united front “to do something good.” Opportunities seem to come out of nowhere to those who have eyes to see, hands to do and a little money on the side. Having a $4.5 million “economic development war chest” can certainly attract a lot of attention! Having a vision and understanding of available assets can turn attention into investors and partners. You see, since the vision of the Technology Center for the Delta as a regional resource came into view, Cross County has attracted a new auto parts manufacturer with construction underway. Village Creek State Park (largest state park in Arkansas by area – 7000 acres – located in Cross and St. Francis counties) is in the process of building a 120-room lodge and 27 hole golf course. And, in partnership with St. Francis County to the south, a small regional airport will be located between Wynne (county seat of Cross County) and Forrest City (county seat of St. Francis County and home East Arkansas Community College which also serves Cross County). Even graduate courses from the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions (thanks in large part to Barbara Hinton, Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Communication Disorders) have been offered through EACC (a story unto itself which will be told in another UAEDI electronic mailing).

But for the moment, construction work has begun on the centerpiece of the economic development package, the Technology Center for the Delta. Envisioned as a one-stop opportunity for both employers and employees when it opens in August, 2005, the Technology Center will give workers in Cross County and the surrounding Crossroads Coalition the opportunity to upgrade their skills, providing a skilled workforce that will be more attractive to potential industries.

“The key to the success of this program is that we did exactly what we said we would do,” explained Bill Thomas. “We told the people if they voted for the tax, we would use the money for the hospital, the fire department, and for projects such as the Technology Center, and that is what we have done.”

The Technology Center will have classrooms for the East Arkansas Community College and offices for the Workforce Investment Board, the Cross County Chamber of Commerce and others. In addition, it will have a distance learning laboratory, an exhibit hall, training facilities, and special use office space. “It will serve as a place where industries can continue to educate employees as methods change, where engineers can go to earn an advanced degree, a place where local industries can showcase products to customers, and where people can improve their employment opportunities,” according to Technology Center Board of Directors Chair Randal Caldwell.

“We wanted to take the current image of failed retail space and turn it into a stabilizing force that the community could be proud of,” Thomas said. “We want people to be proud they were trained there.”

Of course, the story of the Technology Center for the Delta is ongoing. How all of this will play out has yet to be determined. Still, the vision that had its beginnings in 2001 has created a strong partnership involving Cross County, UAEDI, the University of Arkansas, EACC, the Workforce Investment Board and many others. Hopefully, this partnership will fully expand throughout the Crossroads Coalition and elsewhere, serving as a new model for economic development that can be expanded, extended and replicated throughout the state.

Update on the Technology Center for the Delta being built in Cross County, AR