Weather, virus stall building of education center at airport

EL DORADO — The weather and the coronavirus have played a role in slowing down the creation of a conservation education center on the grounds of South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field.

But the project remains under development, said Mickey Murfee, chairman of the El Dorado Airport Commission.

“I haven’t been out there much myself because of covid-19,” Murfee said. “It put a stop to a lot of stuff out there.”

He vowed the project will be completed.

“It’s going to happen.” The airport commission and El Dorado City Council are teaming up with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Department of Aeronautics and the Federal Aviation Administration to build the conservation education center to expand outdoor recreational opportunities in south Arkansas, particularly El Dorado and Union County, and to boost tourism in the area.

Discussions about the project began in 2016 when former Game and Fish Commission Chairman Emon Mahony, of El Dorado, got the ball rolling by presenting the idea to the airport commission.

At the time, Mahony pointed out that there are eight Game and Fish Commission nature and conservation education centers around the state but there are no such facilities in south Arkansas, which is a destination for sportsmen because of am abundance of opportunities for hunting, fishing, boating, camping and other outdoor activities.

The Game and Fish Commission describes the nature and conservation education centers as “part classroom, part museum and part playground [that] help people of all ages better understand their natural surroundings.”

Airport commissioners enthusiastically supported the idea and agreed to work with applicable agencies to develop the project.

Since then, plans have steadily progressed for the tentatively named “South Arkansas Conservation Education Center,” a 3,200-3,400 squarefoot facility that will be built on the west side of Airport Drive, the winding road that leads off U.S. 82 and serves as the entrance to the SARA terminal.

The proposed site for the center will take up roughly 13 acres across from the old Babe Ruth baseball field.

Conceptual designs for the project include a fishing pier; static and 3-D archery ranges; a BB-gun shooting station; a nature trail with interactive panels; and more amenities.

Inside the center, visitors will have access to display areas, including an aquarium, an activity area, a classroom, office space, hunter/boater-safety testing areas, restrooms and a gift shop, where hunting and fishing licenses will be sold.

Airport commissioners requested that initial construction plans be redesigned to incorporate notable elements of the area, such as its timber industry, and to align with the architectural design of the postWWII-era SARA terminal.

The site for the conservation education center will extend westward into a wooded area, where a pond has been drained in preparation for rehabilitation.

The pond will be rebuilt with a purpose to discourage wading birds, such as the great blue heron, from gathering in the area and potentially interfering with aircraft that fly in and out of the airport.

Murfee said the Game and Fish Commission will stock the pond with fish as part of a youth education and recreation program that will be offered by the conservation center.

As part of its pitch to the city, the the Game and Fish Commission also incorporated aviation elements into the project plans, with officials noting that the commission uses airplanes to monitor game movement and population.

Costs are estimated at $700,000-$800,000, which would be covered by a 1/8-cent conservation sales tax that was passed by Arkansas voters in 1996 to assist the Game and Fish Commission with its mission of managing fish and wildlife resources.

The Game and Fish Commission will operate and maintain the conservation education center

Eric Maynard, assistant chief of education for the Game and Fish, has said the facility will be staffed with two part-time employees and the center and its activities will be free to the public.

Maynard said Game and Fish Commission conservation-education and nature centers draw thousands of visitors each year around the state, noting that centers in the more remote locations average about 2,000 visitors per month.

In April 2019, the El Dorado City Council signed off on the conceptual design for the center and an agreement in which the airport commission will transfer the property deed to the city — who will, in turn, lease the property to the AGFC for a nominal fee.

Canfor Southern Pine was previously awarded a bid of $24,637.50 for a selective timber-cut that is needed for site development.

And that is where the project has stalled, said Murfee.

“It’s in limbo. The contract to cut the timber has been done. They’ve got to cut the timber and that’s the big hold up,” he said.

Murfee explained that covid-19 has hampered several projects and rainy weather has softened already-marshy grounds even more, making it difficult for crews to move in heavy machinery.

“I would hope that if we get some decent weather, they can get some equipment in and get the timber cutting done,” Murfee said.

Once the timber has been cut, the next step would be for the city and the AGFC to appropriate the funds to cover the cost of the project and for the FAA to approve the transfer of the land from the airport to the city.

“The FAA wants to make sure that we’re fairly compensated for the land before it’s transferred to the city,” Murfee said. “It’s a crazy thing that the city has to buy its own property but the FAA will not approve it unless the airport is compensated for it and for the city to lease to [the Game and Fish Commission].”

“Their whole thing is that the airport and the airport commission — we’re sort of an autonomous group within the city and the FAA is adamant in that if we transfer land, buy land or do whatever it is, is that we are fairly compensated. They’re very picky about it but that’s their ruling and we’re going to comply with it,” he explained.

Though the project has been slow-going, Murfee said the benefits of having an education conservation center in south Arkansas will far outweigh any growing pains it will take to build the facility.

“Once that land leaves our hands, we won’t have any control over it. It will be an island in the midst of that 13 acres,” he said. “It’s going to be a good thing for the community, for the county and south Arkansas. It’s one of Emon Mahony’s projects and it’s a project that’s near and dear to his heart.”