The Civic and Government Committee of the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce met Tuesday, February 16, 2016. Discussion was about… a megasite for business, a CTE School, extending water service, a K-9, construction on Riverside Park, a new Big Red Store at South Street, water for Longhills apartments & Shoppes at Benton, new offices for Benton Utilities, widening of Hwy 5, I-30, US 70, and Alcoa Rd.
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1. A facility is in the works near Saline County’s megasite to make diesel fuel from natural gas.
2. A CTE school is to be built off Interstate 30 at exit 114 to serve high school students of Benton Bryant Bauxite, Harmony Grove, Sheridan, Glen Rose, Fountain Lake School Districts.
3. Saline County government has a new website scheduled to go online this month.
4. County Judge Jeff Arey has mobile offices scheduled throughout the year.
5. A grant for $1.6 million has been approved by Arkansas Natural Resources to extend water service to part of the Collegeville community.
6. The Saline County Sheriff’s Office is adding a K-9 to their ranks. It is a Golden Retriever that will service in Bauxite Schools with a School Resource Officer (SRO).
7. Benton PD says crime is continuing to go down. They are focusing right now on drunk driving, speeding in a school zone and gun safety. Officers are handing out free gun locks to the public.
8. Riverside Park in Benton is expected to be finished by Spring 2017. It’s located on the south side of the Interstate, near exit 116.
9. Also at exit 116, a Big Red convenience store is building at the intersection of South and Sevier Streets, on the south side of the overpass.
10. Water for the apartments at Longhills and at the new “Shoppes at Benton” shopping center that will happen on the north side of the Interstate west of Alcoa (one side is west of Landers Jeep, other side faces Highway 5, across from Harp’s Grocery). The Public Utilities Commission was able to move forward after the lawsuit by CHORE was dismissed.
11. The billing department of Benton Utilities has a schedule to be moved out of City Hall by the end of 2016. The Benton PD is said to be moving to that area of the building. The drive-thru window is one improvement we’ll see. EDIT: Benton Utilities General Manager Terry McKinney stated: “The [Public Utilities] Commission [Tuesday] evening did not approve a site for the new Utilities Billing Office. There are still a lot of questions. Hopefully, they will give us the okay at the March 7th PUC meeting to begin work on the new Billing Office. We had at least 10 sites that were selected and we now have it down to 2 or 3 sites.”
12. Benton Utilities is looking at new contracts for power to possibly save on cost.
13. The tenants slated to move into the Shoppes of Benton mall are to be announced Monday, February 22nd. The mall is said to be “pretty much sold out.”
14. The widening of Highway 5 North from Reynolds to Alcoa is in progress.
15. Utilities have been approved to be moved at exit 116 (South/Sevier) to make room for widening of Interstate 30 widening from exit 116 to Highway 70 (exit 111).
16. There is a widening project in the works for Highway 70 to become 5 lanes from Benton all the way to Hot Springs.
17. From Alcoa Exchange to Benton Parkway, the utilities are all moved to make way for widening of Alcoa Road. They are currently flushing the new installments.
18. As for the actual widening, the bid for the contract is said to be scheduled for December 2016.