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Jonesboro task force to study only site selection for new E‑911 dispatch center and police facility
Summary
The City of Jonesboro Capital Improvement Bond Task Force agreed to limit its work to choosing a site — not to revisit whether a new facility is needed — and outlined experts and data it will seek before recommending between two city-owned options: the Carraway Road property and a downtown Washington Street site.
The City of Jonesboro Capital Improvement Bond Task Force agreed at a meeting to limit its work to selecting a site for a new combined police facility and E‑911 dispatch center rather than re‑examining whether the city needs a new facility.
The motion to focus the task force’s study on location rather than need was moved, seconded and approved by the committee (vote names and count were not specified in the meeting record). The group identified two candidate sites to evaluate: the city‑owned Carraway Road property and a downtown Washington Street site that currently houses district court under lease.
Members said the committee will gather cost and feasibility information to inform a recommendation before the bond referendum the administration plans to present in June. The panel asked the administration to circulate existing documents, including a spatial study produced in September and the quick‑claim deed and the city resolution authorizing prior renovations to the Carraway Road property. The administration will also collect any other previously prepared estimates and provide them to the task force.
Committee members outlined the scope of analysis they want from invited experts: architects; civil and structural engineers (to address topography, flood mitigation and site feasibility); contractors (including demolition and phased construction cost estimates); commercial real‑estate advisers (to assess redevelopment potential downtown); environmental reviewers (level‑1 environmental screening and follow‑up if needed); and public‑safety stakeholders such as the police chief or force director. The task force also discussed asking the county judge about potential county–city cooperation and the future location of district court.
Key items the task force requested the experts address include development and construction costs at both sites; the construction timeline and how that interacts with bond timing and the stated three‑year completion expectation for bond projects; potential flood and drainage issues downtown; where displaced staff and services would operate during demolition or rebuilding; and whether the bond measure could be used to purchase new property (committee members asked staff to clarify legal and procedural limits on bond proceeds).
The committee decided to limit consideration to the two identified city sites rather than open the analysis to other locations. Members agreed to collect written questions in advance and route them through the city clerk so invited experts can prepare data and spreadsheets for a future public meeting. The group said a later meeting will include a public comment forum; the current meeting was organized only to set study scope and process.
Next steps outlined during the meeting: the administration will distribute assembled documentation to task force members for review; members will submit questions through the city clerk; staff will invite the listed experts to present at a subsequent meeting; and the task force will schedule at least one or two more sessions to review cost estimates and compare the sites before making a recommendation.
The meeting record shows the panel adjourned after setting the schedule and process. No final site selection was made at the meeting.
