Board accepts offer to buy 10 acres

Lowell business to pay $762,300 for Springdale land on Kendrick Avenue

SPRINGDALE — The city’s Public Facilities Board on Wednesday accepted an offer of $762,300 for 10 acres of industrial land it owns on Kendrick Avenue.

The board also approved a right of first refusal to purchase an adjacent 5.4 acres for the buyer, Wil-Shar Inc. of Lowell.

Both tracts sit north of Kendrick and immediately west of Old Wire Road.

Wil- Shar plans an $ 18 million investment for a 100,000-square-foot, computerized steel fabrication plant, said Bill Rogers, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce. The plant would bring 15 new jobs to Springdale.

The family-owned company manufactures and builds the steel frames for a variety of structures. It was started in 1994 and now employs 124 workers, Rogers said.

The Public Facilities Board owns and manages industrial land for the city of Springdale and promotes economic development on behalf of the city. The City Council makes appointments to the board.

The Springdale Chamber of Commerce handles administrative duties for the board.

The Public Facilities Board bought 87 acres on Kendrick Avenue in 2015, with proceeds from a bond sold for that purpose. Kendrick Avenue provides direct access to North Old Missouri Road, which is also Arkansas 265. Plans call for the U.S. 612 bypass to connect with Arkansas 265.

The City Council in May 2020 voted to extend Kendrick Avenue west to North Jefferson Street in the city’s industrial park north of town.

The project will include infrastructure for water and sewer improvements.

The council earmarked $1.7 million from the city’s 2018 bond program for road improvements. The city also received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission.

The city expects to start construction on that project in about six months, said Ben Peters, director of the city’s Engineering Department.