Ark. town full of new faces, business

Brookland’s population has doubled in 9 years

A handscribbled note hangs on the wall in the office of Kenneth Jones, the mayor of Brookland, Arkansas. Jones wrote the note during his first campaign for mayor in 2006. The note became his platform.

“A town that makes its citizens proud and welcomes new citizens and growth,” reads part of the note, which is tacked to a wall a few inches away from the mayor’s desk.

When Brookland elected Jones in 2006, the census recorded 1,342 residents. The town about 75 miles northwest of Memphis has more than doubled since Jones, whose parents moved to Brookland when he was 3, took office.

Two new restaurants — a Sonic and Taco Bell — opened over the last few weeks, and more eateries and retail stores seem soon to follow.

Brookland added 1,000 people in 2012 alone. It annexed areas in all four directions, and the Whitten Creek Apartment complex finished development, providing residences for more than 500 people.

The property where the city’s golf course sat is being turned into a neighborhood. About 300 homes will be built in the subdivision over the next few years.

The makeup of the northern Craighead County city has changed drastically since Jones was a child.

“In 1967, my grandfather had a tractor,” said Jones, who still tries to wave at everyone he passes. “I did the gardening for just about everybody in town. I knew everyone. Now, you meet new faces every day.”

People from Brookland have met the growth with mixed reactions.

Joe Gutermuth, 30, and his wife Jessica, 28, spent a warm Monday afternoon enjoying ice cream from the new Sonic while their two young boys played on the playground. Joe was born in Germany, but he moved stateside when he was 7. He has lived in Bay and Brookland.

“This was just a little, bitty small town. I remember when this was just a two-lane road with houses,” Gutermuth said while pointing at Sonic. “The growth is a good thing. Brookland has gotten big enough where it won’t be taken over by Jonesboro, but it still has its own identity.”

Before, the Gutermuths took their 2- and 3-yearold sons to Craighead Forest Park to play, but the new Sonic gave them a more convenient option.

While Gutermuth is in favor of growth, he hopes Brookland holds fast to one thing.

“I don’t want to lose that small, hometown feel,” he said. “I don’t want to be considered the suburbs.”

Cherie Belcher remained more cautious about Brookland’s boom. Her main concern has been the plethora of apartment buildings erected.

She gathered 212 signatures this summer from Brookland homeowners in an attempt to block the city council from zoning more properties for apartment complex developments.

While she doesn’t mind the growth, it needs to be done “the right way,” Belcher said. To her, that means more houses and fewer apartments.

Belcher isn’t the only one apprehensive about growth.

“They see their city changing and have some concerns,” Jones said of many lifelong Brookland residents. “And there are some concerns. They just need to be managed.”

A special 2014 census found 2,914 people living in Brookland. If the recent trend continues, that number is only going one direction, but don’t expect Jones to stop waving anytime soon.