NW Ark. battling outbreak of mumps
Nashville university plans massive riverside development project
USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee
Tennessee State University is planning an 84-acre development along the Cumberland River.
Dubbed Cumberland City at TSU, the project is expected to include a hotel and conference center, a residential community and business incubation facility, along with innovation and research centers on the northwest side of campus. Plans for the site off Dr. Walter S. Davis Boulevard also call for a library and community resource center, a business partnership complex, restaurants and retail at the state’s largest historically black university.
“If it’s developed as proposed, it will be a big plus for the community and the university,” said Metro Councilman Ed Kindall, whose district includes the university’s campus.
Kindall was among local community and business leaders present at a recent lunch gathering where TSU President Glenda Glover shared the concept. Funding has been secured for a small portion of the project, with additional money expected to be pursued from the state and various private sources, Kindall said.
Glover’s strategy of reaching out to community stakeholders in the project’s early stages is in line with her declaration upon becoming president that the university belongs to the community, said Kelli Sharpe, TSU’s assistant vice president for public relations and communications.
“A project of this nature will only be successful with support from the community and our stakeholders,” Sharpe said. “Typical projects of this nature require a diverse funding package and this is something the university will pursue.”
The Cumberland City at TSU project will be built in phases, Sharpe said, adding that efforts are underway as part of a preliminary preconstruction phase to secure the necessary permits from the city and state. She said there’s no definite targeted completion date, but people who attended last week’s meeting said Glover mentioned a three- to eight-year development time frame.
TSU is believed to have drawn inspiration from Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama, anchored by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and other similar projects around the country.
The riverfront development is among capital improvement projects under TSU’s overall master plan, which also could include two new dormitories and a potential new football stadium to replace Hale Stadium, affectionately known as the “Hole.”
The number of mumps cases in northwest Arkansas ballooned Tuesday with 14 confirmed cases and another 59 suspected.
The outbreak is by far the state’s largest cluster since 2010, when five cases were confirmed.
This year’s outbreak is centered in northwest Arkansas, where the opt-out rate for vaccinations far exceeds any other area of the state, according to Arkansas Department of Health data. State law allows parents to claim medical, religious or philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements.
Mumps is a viral infection that causes swelling in the salivary glands and cheeks. Symptoms also may include headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and low-grade fevers. Those afflicted in Springdale include vaccinated and unvaccinated people, health department spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said.