NLR officials OK land sale to VA

The North Little Rock City Council approved on Monday the sale of cityowned property at Fort Roots to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for expansion of the VA’s law enforcement training center.

The VA will purchase the 2.32 acres on Hill Road for $90,000, according to the legislation that the City Council approved in an 8-0 vote without discussion.

The property is adjacent to the Fort Roots campus that contains the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center. The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System is located at the Towbin Center.

The law enforcement training center offers 10-week training programs for federal police officers from throughout the country, Mayor Joe Smith said last week.

Expansion of the center will mean more outof-state officers coming to North Little Rock to live within the city for months at a time, an advantage for the local economy, Smith said.

The VA had appraised the property at $65,000 and initially offered that amount for the property, according to information attached to the legislation. Smith said he considered that to be a lower amount than the property’s worth and counter-offered $100,000. The VA and the city then agreed on the $90,000 price.

Access to Emerald Park from Fort Roots will remain as it is now, Chris Durney, public affairs officer for the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, said last week. Emerald Park Trail starts next to the property on Hill Road and runs downhill into Emerald Park.