Jonesboro task force seeks engineering cost comparisons after damage at downtown Justice Complex

The Jonesboro Capital Improvement Bond Task Force asked city engineers and planners to produce comparative cost and site analyses for two candidate locations for a consolidated police and E-911 facility after a structural problem was discovered at the downtown Justice Complex.

Councilman John Street pressed the task force to compare the “site on South Carraway” with the Washington Avenue property and to estimate demolition and drainage-remediation costs at the Washington site. “I just want to see if anybody would look or had looked at a cost-benefit analysis, you know, comparing the site on South Carraway as opposed to the 1 on Washington,” Street said.

The discussion changed after city staff reported damage found during a routine inspection last Friday at the Justice Complex on Washington Avenue. “We’ve had a situation arise last Friday afternoon that might make some adjustments,” Brian (city staff) told the committee, saying an insurance investigator had been requested to determine whether the damage was weather-related. He said he had discussed accommodations with Judge Day and district judges already.

Police Chief (name not specified) told the task force he was concerned the Washington site “will not be adequate for the future,” citing repeated flooding of parking areas and long-term space needs. “The spatial analysis included growth for the next 15, 20 plus years. We can’t cut that,” the chief said, arguing the Carraway Road site offers more room for expansion and better access control.

Engineers on the panel clarified constraints tied to downtown drainage. Craig (engineer) noted a 2007 study that recommended upgrading an underground downtown drainage system and said some flood relief work could be required to make a Washington-area site function reliably. “If the building is built where the current structure stands, then the building itself should be out of flooding. But there’s still flooding on Washington Street and in the parking lot at times under big rainfall events,” Craig said.

Committee members and staff discussed several cost and program details that the task force said it needs in order to proceed: the demolition and remediation estimate for the Justice Complex if the building must be removed; the cost difference to buy and build on the Carraway Road site versus rebuilding downtown; how much developable land would remain for future expansion at each site; and parking and retention-pond impacts if low-lying areas are removed for detention. Task force members also asked engineers to lay proposed floor plans for the project onto the Washington property to check fit and parking.

Staff noted some existing budget figures referenced during the meeting: roughly $261,000 remaining from funds tied to the former Citizens Bank building, a previously proposed $5.3 million cost for the E-911 center’s planned building footprint, and a prior quoted 8,900-square-foot first phase for Carraway. One council member said preliminary estimates suggested roof and structural repairs at the Justice Complex could escalate “in the $400,000 or $500,000 range,” but members stressed the city will await formal engineering and insurance reports before making decisions.

Councilman Street and other members instructed staff to obtain professional site and cost studies and to return with engineering recommendations. “Let an engineer and architect actually look at what that layout would be,” one council member said. The task force did not approve any site or authorize purchases at the meeting.

During public comment, resident Patty Lack suggested additional sites the task force had not prioritized, including existing city-owned buildings, and urged consideration of downtown space and current bond timelines. “I think we have a lot of open space that an E-91 center could use here,” Lack said, referring to the Washington area.

A motion to approve the minutes from the task force’s June 3, 2025, meeting passed at the start of the session; a motion to adjourn passed at the end. The task force said it will schedule a follow-up meeting after engineers and civil planners deliver the requested cost and site analyses.

The task force did not adopt any formal decisions about property acquisition or final project scope during the meeting and will base any future recommendations on the forthcoming engineering reports and the insurance investigation into the Justice Complex damage.