Jonesboro task force narrows focus to site selection for new E‑911 dispatch and police facility

The City of Jonesboro Capital Improvement Bond Task Force met to begin work on locating a new emergency‑communications and police facility and to outline the information it needs to recommend a site to the city.

Task force members agreed at the meeting that a new E‑911/dispatch center and related police facilities are needed and that the committee’s work should be limited to selecting a location rather than re‑litigating need. The group identified two candidate sites to compare: the city’s Carraway Road property and a downtown parcel on Washington Street. Members instructed staff to gather documents already produced for both locations and to invite experts — architects, structural and civil engineers, construction firms, commercial‑real‑estate consultants and environmental reviewers — to present cost and feasibility estimates at future meetings.

Why it matters: The site choice will affect how bond funds are allocated if voters approve the capital improvement bond. Task force members said they want cost estimates for phased construction, demolition and rebuild scenarios, flood‑mitigation assessments for the downtown site, and plans for accommodating functions such as motor pool, municipal or district court space and future departmental growth.

Discussion and next steps

At the meeting the task force reviewed existing materials that the administration has compiled, including a spatial study prepared in September of the previous year, a quick‑claim deed for the Carraway property and the resolution that authorized renovations to the Carraway Road facility. Members asked staff to circulate those documents to the committee for review and to collect written questions to give to invited experts in advance.

Members emphasized several topics they expect experts to address: comparative development costs at each site (including demolition where relevant), flood‑risk and mitigation needs for the Washington Street downtown parcel, environmental screening (a standard level‑1 review and any recommendations for further study), the feasibility of phased construction, and expected construction timelines for projects funded by the bond. The task force also noted that one tenant of the downtown building is the district court and that court relocation or continued tenancy is part of the downtown‑site discussion.

The group said it will limit its review to the two sites discussed in this meeting and will not expand consideration to additional parcels. Staff will coordinate expert invitations and ask members to submit specific questions through the city clerk’s office before the next meeting. The task force agreed that when a public forum is scheduled — after the experts present their findings — the committee will provide an opportunity for public comment.

Decisions taken

The task force formally recorded a motion recognizing the police chief’s recommendation that a new facility is required and to confine the committee’s analysis to selecting the site. Members recorded a first and second and then voted to approve that motion. The committee also adjourned following that action; members did not take any final site‑selection votes at this meeting.

What was not decided

No final site selection was made and no cost figures or timelines were adopted. The task force did not change the scope of the bond proposal itself; members clarified that this committee’s role is to recommend a site, not to decide whether to place the bond referendum on the ballot. The transcript and materials provided to the committee did not specify final construction budgets, exact project timelines, or a precise relocation plan for occupants of any affected buildings.

Looking ahead

Staff will distribute available documents this week and collect member questions for experts. The task force expects at least one or two additional meetings to receive expert presentations, review cost spreadsheets, and develop a comparative pro/con analysis before returning with a recommendation to the City Council.