The Bradley County Economic Development Commission held its annual meeting on Monday, January 27, to discuss different topics. Representative Jeff Wardlaw and Senator Ben Gilmore were in attendance.
Doctor Robert Smalling called for the financial report, and Bob Milton presented.
Milton reported that the BCEDC receives funding solely from membership dues because the city of Warren does not provide funding. The commission’s membership account currently has $80,692, and a CD totaling $90,000 is also present. As of December 31, 2024, the total available cash amount was around $170,000.
There are three separate industrial sights on the BCEDC’s books, and the total amount for those is $95,777.32. There are other assets that the BCEDC has and the total with those and the other named assets is $887,870.89. Total membership for 2024 was $650. The only other income for the year was lease income which totaled $1650. Expenditures for the year were $30,757. Overall, for 2024, there was a deficit of $29,104. A motion was made to accept the financial report and all voted in favor.
Next, Smalling presented the annual report. He reported that more things are happening in Bradley County now than in past years, including the intermodal. Smalling also discussed the Griggs Property and other events in Bradley County.
Following Smalling, John Lipton spoke about the intermodal property which will be the home to the Weyerhaeuser facility. Lipton said that the project was put together to try to bring communities together.
“This was a unique pilot project for the state of Arkansas,” Lipton said. “I don’t want to take away anything from the intermodal. One way that you can help us is by getting the word out. Legislative people have worked together to get funding through the highway department.”
Lipton added one more thing before closing his presentation.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a project this large in Southeast Arkansas,” Lipton said, referring to the intermodal development. “This will be worth $500 million and 200 jobs.”
Following Lipton, Jackson Braswell who is the Public Affairs Manager for Weyerhaeuser, spoke. Braswell is the only representative in the state of Arkansas.
Weyerhaeuser owns around 1.2 million acres in Arkansas, 10 million acres in the United States, and 14 million acres in Canada. In total, it considered 20 different locations before deciding on Drew County. This will also be the company's first mill in 20 years.
Following a few other reports, Natalee Harmon, Natalie Gregorio, Amy Dominguez, and Mileigh Tillman who are all Warren High School East Lab students, spoke to the BCEDC about raising the money to bring a Safe Haven Baby Box that would be installed at the fire department in Warren.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are temperature-controlled, secure compartments installed at some fire stations where parents can anonymously surrender a newborn baby, providing a safe alternative to abandoning the child; when a baby is placed inside, an alarm immediately alerts the fire station staff to retrieve the infant and provide necessary care. The box is usually built into an exterior wall of the fire station, with a small door that opens to the outside, allowing a parent to place the baby inside while remaining anonymous.
City of Warren Mayor, Gregg Reep updated the commission on the progress of the Blue Sky Carbon biochar facility.
“They will be a nice little operation for us,” Reep said.
The next meeting will be Monday, February 24.
