NLR district moves HQ to Willow Street

The North Little Rock School District has vacated its longtime administrative headquarters at 2700 Poplar St. and is now housed in the city of North Little Rock’s former police training facility at 2400 Willow St., west of North Little Rock High School.

District leaders moved to the Willow Street site as part of an agreement with the city in which the district will use the Willow Street building rent-free through Dec. 31, 2022.

The city is responsible for the district’s moving costs, the upgrade of computer infrastructure in the building, some insurance costs, and any needed repairs to the roof and heating/air conditioning system.

The district will pay for the utilities in the building, where the district’s School Board met for the first time Thursday night. That was for a work session. The next regular meeting will be Feb. 27.

The district’s move out of its Poplar Street location is intended to facilitate the city’s construction of a new police and courts building on Poplar Street.

The city has already demolished the Arkansas Army National Guard Armory at 2600 Poplar — also property that the school district owned. The 2700 Poplar St. building will also be demolished.

A North Little Rock district maintenance building at 2500 Poplar St. is supposed to remain under district ownership.

However, it is listed in Pulaski County government records as a city-owned property. School district leaders have directed their attorney to pursue a correction to those records.