Bladesmith school, other stories notable in 2020
EDITOR’S NOTE: Following is a list of other notable happenings in the Texarkana area for the year 2020. Bladesmith school and classes a hot ticket in the area
A soggy day in January 2020 did not stop a new forge from blazing to life at the dedication of the James Black School of Bladesmithing and Historic Trades at Historic Washington State Park.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was on hand to help open the school, part of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana. He also unveiled a commemorative Bowie knife dubbed Arkansas No. 1 and welcomed the park as the state’s first official Heritage Site, to be known as the Birthplace of the Bowie Knife.
Bladesmithing is also taking off at another higher education institution in the area.
Texarkana College will offer bladesmithing classes through the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing.
Endorsed by the American Bladesmith Society, this school offers courses designed for anyone interested in making knives, including those who are beginner bladesmiths, or those who have already reached the level of Journeyman and want to learn the craft of handles and guards, or Damascus steel patterns.
Activity in Downtown Entertainment District increases
In a challenging year, Texarkana’s entertainment venues continued to delight with new venues opened to the public.
The Railyard Saloon opened at the end of May. Across the way on Broad Street, Crossties Performance and Entertainment Venue, opened in the former Moore’s Furniture space as well as the building and property space next to it.
Just west on State Line Avenue, B&J Creamery has taken up the space formerly occupied by the downtown location of Joe’s Pizza and Pasta (their newer location on Richmond Road remains). And just down the corner from them is the 1873 Club.
Southern Refrigeration Transport shuts terminal
Southern Refrigerated Transport located just east of Texarkana, Arkansas, closed its terminal in May and conducted an “operational consolidation” with its mother company in Chattanooga, and other Tennessee properties.
About 150 jobs at the Texarkana site were permanently eliminated, while hundreds of professional truck-driving and non-driving jobs relocated to Covenant sites in either Chattanooga, Nashville, or Greenville, Tennessee.
Southern Refrigerated Transport was listed as Texarkana’s fifth largest employer, having 1,115 employees, as of August 2019.
The company sold to Covenant in 1998.
Market challenges related to the pandemic were at play in the decision.
The Texarkana company was founded in 1986 near Ashdown, Arkansas. It moved in 2006, building a 100,000 square foot complex on the east edge of Texarkana, facing 1-30 to the north and with U.S. Highway 67 on its south side.
According to a 2017 Texarkana Gazette article, its trucks have delivered in all 48 contiguous states — and Canada.
Activity at TexAmericas
TexAmericas Center had a good 2020.
It is now in the process of building its first completely new structure, the SPEC building, a new space intended to be adaptable and modifiable for a wide range of clients.
But that is just the latest announcement out of a year of milestones.
In January, it was designated as a Texas Enterprise Zone, bringing various tax advantages based on capital invested and jobs created. In February, it leased the millionth square foot of commercial and industrial real estate.
From upgrading its website, providing detailed economic and logistical data for the region for potential clients, to being named as the site of Riverbend Water Resources District’s new regional water processing facility, Tex-Americas Center has handled 2020 with confidence, setting themselves up for an even better 2021.
Paul Norton leaves TISD after long term
For Paul Norton and the Texarkana Independent School District, a farewell drive-up in July indicated the end of an era.
Students, parents, faculty and fellow citizens of Texarkana drove by the Sullivan Performing Arts Center, where Norton and his family stood under a blow-up Texas Tiger mouth, to show support for the departing superintendent.
After spending 19 years in the district and 47 years in the Texarkana community, Norton accepted a job as Lake Travis ISD superintendent. Lake Travis is near Austin.
On Monday, Dr. Doug Brubaker will take the helm as TISD superintendent.
Bob Harrison leaves police chief post after long run at TAPD
Bob Harrison, who served as Texarkana Arkansas Police Department for 30 years, retired from the department.
Joining the department in 1973, Harrison held every rank and almost every position in the department. He was appointed by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve on the the state’s law enforcement standards commission and was elected chairman in January 2001.
Harrison followed John H. Butler, who served as Arkansas-side police chief from 1972 to 1990.
His father, also named Robert Harrison, was a deputy sheriff for Caddo Parish in Louisiana.
Regency House demolition spurs lawsuit
Demolition of the former Regency House building on East Broad Street downtown continues to be suspended after an accident damaged the building next door last summer.
During demolition work in July, a portion of the Regency House building’s brick wall fell onto the building at 114 Broad St. That structure is considered a total loss, which resulted in a lawsuit in November.
In August 2019, the Regency House’s extensively-damaged roof collapsed through the remains of the floor beneath, destabilizing the structure and creating the possibility of falling debris. The city immediately blocked access to the street and sidewalk in front of the building and closed the park next door.