Strengthening economic development, public input sought
Asking what they deemed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of and to Pea Ridge, Jim Fram addressed more than two dozen people in the Pea Ridge Public Forum: Economic Development Action Plan at City Hall Monday, Feb. 26.
Fram, CEcD (certified economic developer), CCE (certified chamber executive), FM, Consultant and Economic Development Leader with Community Growth Strategies LLC, was joined by Emily Cooper Yates, regional manager of the Northwest Arkansas region with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Michael Hudson, project coordinator of the Outreach and community engagement of the Center for Community and Economic Development, University of Central Arkansas.
Mayor Nathan See said he invited Fram and the others to help city leaders to see what they may be missing, what they need to know to help the city.
“He knows the business. We don’t know the business,” See said. “We just got done with the ULI open space plan last week. We want them to come together; we want every plan to complement itself.”
Fram said: “I’m not going to speak. I’m going to listen to you all.”
Saying he had already spoken with several people from the area through out the day, he asked what are the strengths of Pea Ridge.
People’s answers varied from location, the people, the “feel of a small town,” potential, the fact that people are invested, good schools and a beautiful area.
Fram concurred saying “your school is one of the top 10 fastest growth in Arkansas.”
Weaknesses were seen as being over development, traffic control, infrastructure, failure to preserve historic areas, parks and family spaces, zoning, lack of business organization (chamber of commerce) and lack of internet infrastructure.
Opportunities listed included taking advantage of the proximity to a national park (the Pea Ridge National Military Park), a downtown historic area, bike paths, affordable housing.
One man in the audience asked why growth is necessary.
Fram said there “no such thing as standing still. You stop growth, you start declining.”
The threats were viewed as a lack of money, a need to maintain streets and parks as development increases, neighboring city annexation and existing spaces for new businesses.
And, as the last exercise, Fram asked participants to determine where they would spend their resources if time were of no consequence and money were of no object.
Subjects receiving the most responses for consideration were need a master plan, develop the historic district, bike trails, walkability/biking and infrastructure.
He said he will evaluate the responses and report to the city with his findings.