Mayor: ARDOT to open Jonesboro office; next steps set for e911 center, United Breast Cancer Foundation moving to city
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Summary
Mayor Harold Copenhaver told the council that the Arkansas Department of Transportation will open an office in Jonesboro, highlighted the city hosting a statewide transportation conference, announced the United Breast Cancer Foundation is relocating to Jonesboro, and said the city has completed an RFQ for a construction manager for the e911 real‑ti
Mayor Harold Copenhaver told the City Council on Nov. 4 that the Arkansas Department of Transportation held a statewide conference in Jonesboro and plans to open an office in the city to house engineers, a move he said should help expedite regional projects.
"It's a big deal for us. A big deal," Copenhaver said, noting ARDOT's executive director Jared Wiley is an Arkansas State University graduate and that the planned office will be the agency's only location outside Little Rock and Fayetteville.
Copenhaver also announced that the United Breast Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit based in New Jersey, has chosen Jonesboro for a new location. He said the foundation's executive director cited the people of Jonesboro as a motivating factor for the move and described the ribbon-cutting as a "heartfelt event." No budgetary terms or incentive details were provided during the meeting.
On public safety infrastructure, Copenhaver said a task force endorsed constructing an e911 real-time crime center on the 400 block of West Washington. Because the city already owns the Washington property, no land-purchase contract is required. The city completed the request-for-qualifications process to select a construction manager; the RFQ will be considered by the finance committee on Nov. 11 and, if recommended, by the full City Council on Nov. 18.
Copenhaver also addressed circulating social-media falsehoods about law-enforcement and animal-services matters, saying misinformation had led volunteers and agencies to cancel planned low-cost animal vaccination clinics in November and December. He urged residents to verify information and explained parts of the animal exhibits ordinance—including insurance and property-owner permission requirements—were enacted after earlier litigation and public debate.
The mayor closed by encouraging residents to research claims they see online and said Jonesboro, like other communities, has been the target of misinformation.