El Dorado Works Board Monday meeting is cancelled

The El Dorado Works Board was expected to meet Monday to hear a revised proposal for the construction of the South Arkansas Expo Center.

However, the item was pulled from the agenda after the committee who is spearheading the project asked to return to the EWB in February.

Last June, the El Dorado Works Board and the El Dorado City Council approved a funding request of nearly $3.7 million to build the SAEC, per a proposal that was submitted by supporters of the project — including the SAEC committee and a board of directors.

The EWB administers the city’s one-cent sales tax, also called the El Dorado Works tax, that is dedicated to economic development, municipal infrastructure and quality-of-life projects.

The EWB vets funding proposals, and if approved, the proposals are then forwarded to the El Dorado City Council for consideration.

Supporters of the SAEC approached the EWB with a funding proposal to build an arena to host equine events and competitions, such as rodeos, racing and penning — and related.

“We travel because we do not have a place locally where we can have these events,” Gary Sewell, a member of the SAEC board, told EWB members in Jube of 2023.

The closest such facility to El Dorado is 35 miles away in Magnolia, noting that the facility at Southern Arkansas University is not available to rent to the public, Sewell said.

The SAEC group also presented an economic impact study that was prepared by Dr. Jacob Manlove, assistant professor of agricultural economics at Arkansas State University.

According to the study, the SAEC is projected to pump $2.6 million into the local economy each year.

Sewell explained that the number is a low-spend estimate and “the high number” is nearly $5 million annually.

To further support the project, Sewell donated more than 20 acres of land on Arkansas 335/DelTin Highway, approximately five miles west of El Dorado, on which to build the expo center.

The property is less than a mile south of U.S. 82 and sits on the east side of the Del-Tin Highway.

Union County is working on site preparation, including clearing, grubbing and leveling, which got underway in October.

A few weeks into the project, the county contracted the remainder of the dirt work after county crews discovered more dirt had to be moved than originally anticipated.

The county is re-grading the site and has moved the position of the building northward.

The city of El Dorado will own the facility and city officials agreed to hire a part-time manager to oversee operations.

When the EWB and city council signed off on the $3.7 million funding request, they did so under the proviso that the SAEC committee come up with cost estimates for two options — the initial proposal and expanded features that include larger classrooms, seating capacity and concessions and additional restrooms.

Robert Edmonds, director of public works, previously explained that the $3.7 million will likely cover the base-bid projects and the SAEC committee would have to return to the EWB for any additional funding for the alternate bids.

EWB members were to have heard Monday the updated funding proposal with a cost addendum that comes to an estimated $8.6 million.

Last June, Sewell told EWB members that the committee was confident that the expo could be booked every weekend of the year.

Included in the amended proposal are letters from various regional and national rodeo competition producers — including the Arkansas High School Rodeo Association; NJ Productions in Dubach, Louisiana; Diamond TD Productions in Monroe, Louisiana; United States Penning Association and the United States Team Roping Championships — who have expressed interest in booking events in El Dorado after the expo is completed.

The proposal was the only item of business that was on the EWB’s agenda for Tuesday.

The SAEC committee is expected to make its presentation during the EWB’s next regularly scheduled meeting at 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the Council Chamber of City Hall.

City office closings

All administrative offices of the city of El Dorado, including the police and fire departments and the El Dorado Water Utilities, will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Emergency services will operate as usual. The city’s garbage collection service will run a day behind schedule this week, starting Tuesday in Ward 1.