Chamber issues advisory on future industry turnarounds

With much of the community focused on the grand opening of the Murphy Arts District, the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce is advising residents to look a year ahead.

Mike Dumas, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, has asked local organizations to consider a 12-month outlook for the MAD schedule for fall 2018 and other large events, such as MusicFest and large-scale industry maintenance and repair projects, that are expected to bring visitors to town.

For the past week, Dumas said, he has been in talks with two local industries that have such projects, commonly known as turnarounds, for fall 2018.

He said the projects, which are anticipated by Lion Oil and El Dorado Chemical, will bring hundreds of workers to town for extended stays.

“Every room in the (local) hotels will be occupied by the first of October,” Dumas recently told the Main Street El Dorado Board of Directors.

“People will be here for MAD and MusicFest, and there will be a limited number of beds,” he said.

Dumas said he was not sure when the El Dorado Chemical project will begin, but it is expected to be completed by mid-September 2018.

“I know as soon as they finish, Lion Oil will start by the first of October. They will be ramping down by the first week of November, and they said they will be out by Thanksgiving,” Dumas said.

There are 11 lodging establishments in El Dorado and one in Smackover.

Dumas and Mayor Frank Hash said two new hotels — Candlewood Suites on Junction City Road and Marriott Fairfield Inn on North West Avenue behind McDonald’s — are expected to be completed by fall 2018.

“For these turnarounds,

I’ve seen IDs from 25 different states,” said Paul Choate, president of the Main Street board.

“I wanted to bring this to your attention so you can start planning past 50 days,” Dumas said, referring the then-number of days until the Sept. 27 grand opening of MAD.