[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6484683,"mediaKeyId","5602464-be7879f6aa9ac00259395ebf5977ca6e","parentId",5602464,"title","Jonesboro council approves $855,000 contract for comprehensive growth and master street plan","audioSeconds",807,"startMs",499000,"endMs",1306000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5602464-be7879f6aa9ac00259395ebf5977ca6e&start=499&end=1306","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5602464-be7879f6aa9ac00259395ebf5977ca6e/thumbnail_499000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6484683/Jonesboro/Craighead-County/Arkansas/Jonesboro-council-approves-855000-contract-for-comprehensive-growth-and-master-street-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6484683-fc0e6186a1a88a49d761fb30e0b56314/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144526&Signature=d-rNRHOMNJr2bY1SHfepMOQPeIi26CCErINm7iPfapPyCpslgmZciJ~xJfBOFMCf5kItB5o1DKz1Kz~ii-TaZFkLVnb3sjO3CpeGzNgauIQv4qs7jfe6ThQTa0qYrntIc-EeCPzx6nURojn20xW5M20QJPFuwyegBoE6BC45b2rVSAb8nDBaXWcXBKqHhKlL946qp54oiTqI1HvyYmfncI~PzQpAipVq3gfJ0C1FeFbn0~yrvqrM9J00P28kh~3JeHsrSAGZQIjQUPDJ6oMU63aL5cUraEpsyvs6AvwXW4l2d1Je-gsxdS4-QakSeT6Fhn5dLPDeD2HvT58blf~wyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Jonesboro","date","2025-08-19T00:00:00Z","article","Jonesboro City Council on Aug. 19 approved a resolution to contract with DPZ CoDesign to prepare a new comprehensive growth plan and a master street plan for the city, using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) restricted revenue replacement funds. The purchase price cited in the council resolution was $855,000, and the resolution authorizes the mayor and city clerk, April Leggett, to execute necessary documents.

City staff and council members said the city’s last comprehensive growth plan dated to 1998 and that related documents — a land-use plan and street/tree plans — were updated more recently (2017 for land use, 2018 for a master tree plan). “So it’s definitely time to to update this,” said Daryl, a planning department staff member, during council discussion.

The resolution’s sponsor explained the city conducted a request-for-qualifications process and selected DPZ CoDesign of Portland, Oregon, as the most qualified firm. The resolution text, as read at the meeting, states the appropriation will come from ARPA restricted revenue replacement funds by amending the fiscal year 2025 professional services budget for the planning department.

Council members asked staff several operational questions before the vote, including how much ARPA funding remains available. City staff told the council the financial report provided at the prior meeting (page 24 of that report) showed a remaining ARPA balance of $1,536,000. Council members also asked when the last street-master plan had been completed and how the new plan would account for current projects such as Caraway Road and Prospect Road improvements and planned trail connections. The staff reply noted the comprehensive plan process typically spans 18 to 24 months and that the document would include connectivity, roadways, trails and related infrastructure.

During public comment Patty Lack of Forest Hill Road said she supported the idea of a growth plan but questioned the timing and urged the council to consider pending studies. “We don’t even know what that’s gonna hold, whether we have an impact fee or whether we don’t have an impact fee,” Lack said, referring to a 26-week impact-fee study whose results she said the city would receive the following week. Lack urged robust public engagement, including ward meetings and open houses, and warned against applying different rules to different developments.

After discussion and public comment, a council member moved to adopt the resolution and a second was recorded. The council adopted the resolution; the meeting transcript records the presiding official saying, “and that ordinance does carry 10 to 2.” The transcript did not provide a roll-call list of individual votes for this item in the public record provided.

The resolution directs appropriation of $855,000 and authorizes execution of the contract with DPZ CoDesign. City staff and the council indicated the plan would be used to align infrastructure investments, land-use policy and development reviews going forward.

Next steps: the resolution authorizes city officials to finalize and sign the contract; staff said the planning process would begin following contract execution and will include public engagement over the plan’s 18–24 month schedule.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Jonesboro - City Council on 2025-08-19 5:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Jonesboro City Council on Aug. 19 approved a resolution to contract with DPZ CoDesign to prepare a new comprehensive growth plan and a master street plan for the city, using American Rescue Plan Act restricted revenue replacement funds.","taxTitle","Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas","taxId",3532,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6484678,"Resident urges transparency on temporary closure of Eboom Watson Center, calls it repository of Black history",292,2216000,2508000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5602464-be7879f6aa9ac00259395ebf5977ca6e&start=2216&end=2508","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5602464-be7879f6aa9ac00259395ebf5977ca6e/thumbnail_2216000.jpg","/articles/6484678/Jonesboro/Craighead-County/Arkansas/Resident-urges-transparency-on-temporary-closure-of-Eboom-Watson-Center-calls-it-repository-of-Black-history","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6484678-6a35af609a44ff7f9f89802115a4e509/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144526&Signature=oxyQsX3QhtSEBp4qdpqXtT0BdKAJgFoyecuXTy3bgoMsJj40VVWyyY69WVKAvwR5d34Y1zNsIGD2PPLj058QnmUTi3YEDSnjLodfX~gAeMe~VRE54dnakvSpOF8voMLdy~qwUddyu1qCSMJAP9qTE2zT~HFPxgVd9YmyO8-aP5lbAk61Ieeb1YwrK2SNiyDPpLRINc~3iFSt3lTTvLiksKic7p-Ca2rH-LR3~VTqHmqgcSAIGpHCUZGQwW8O9Qq3ImlkU1hNpTjSrrkZJlhDd1uzu5-~W7PyZSPwbiVWFFar~1pHUIlU6CWSIqywcXpODWYWysdqDNTSONypGOvE4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jamal Carter, a Jonesboro resident, told the City Council on Aug. 19 that the temporary closure of the Eboom Watson Center has left members of the Black community without access to a facility he described as “a repository of our history.” Carter urged the city for transparency about the closure and asked officials to identify alternative sites while repairs or relocations are underway.

Carter said the center sits on the site of the former industrial high school built in 1924 and that bricks from an earlier city auditorium were used in the structure later renamed Booker T. Washington High School in 1935. He said the facility houses the Craighead County Jonesboro African American Culture Center, curated by Roger McKinney, and preserves exhibits documenting local Black property owners and community history from the 1880s through about 1960.

The resident recounted that the center was renamed in 1984 to honor Etta Mae Boone Watson, a longtime local educator who taught at Booker T. Washington for more than 40 years and supported early-childhood education programs. Carter said he has received calls from residents who discovered the center was closed only after trying to access it; he asked the city to provide more timely public notice and suggested the city consider an alternative location for community members who need the museum and meeting space.

Carter also said that, to his understanding, parole and probation staff currently operate in the facility and that state regulations prevent certain community uses while those services are present. He asked the council to confirm whether state regulations prevent public access and, if the closure is prolonged, to identify an appropriate temporary site so families can continue to use the museum and community space.

Council did not take immediate formal action on the request during the meeting. The mayor and council acknowledged the comment and noted the city would provide additional information as evaluations continue; Carter said he would follow up with city staff.

Carter closed by asking for transparency: “If we don’t know, then we can’t give you grace,” he said, urging the council to keep the community informed about the center’s status.","At the Aug. 19 Jonesboro City Council meeting, Jamal Carter asked the city for clearer communication and interim arrangements after the temporary closure of the Eboom Watson Center, saying the facility houses the Craighead County Jonesboro African American Culture Center and is central to local Black history.","actionData","errors"]

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Jonesboro council approves $855,000 contract for comprehensive growth and master street plan

Resident urges transparency on temporary closure of Eboom Watson Center, calls it repository of Black history