Arkansas Student

Didn't see it mentioned in the thread here, but the Park Arms apartments (on Markham, across from the UAMS dorms, west of Walnut Street next to the KFC/Taco Bell) were torn down in March & site prep has begun for an Arvest branch bank & associated office complex. There were 4 shotgun houses behind the apartments that were also torn down. I live across the street from the lot and get to enjoy the commotion of the site work everyday My wife & I actually rented an apartment in the Park Arms & moved out shortly before they were torn down. I figure they were built either in the late 1940s or early 1950s, based on some interesting Art Deco elements that the building had but which were hidden by awnings and the like. It surprises me that they're building a branch bank in the current economy, but whatever... The old Economy Inn between Cedar & Pine has been boarded up since Fall 2008 at least, I've been hoping someone will make a decision on what to do with it soon. Walgreen's, USA Drug -- I don't care, just get rid of it.

Just going to throw my 2 cents in and say Panda Garden @ Shackleford Crossing is quite good, probably the best Chinese buffet in LR at the moment (which may not be saying alot, but still ) The sushi is especially good considering it is from a buffet -- they have their own dedicated sushi chef and the offerings are always varied and well-prepared. I also enjoy having a Cracker Barrel in this part of town... I have a soft spot in my heart for Cracker Barrel; it reminds me of family trips through Tennessee when I was growing up.

I think they've made some real strides in the physical appearance and infrastructure of downtown Conway in just this past year, but I'm not sure what sort of dividends are being paid in terms of people being downtown. I know Mike's Place and Michelangelo's continue to fare well (along with Conway's only bar that can be viewed from the street). The Village at Hendrix is the big thing, but right now it's mostly shuffling a lot of dirt around. Still a long way to go before there is anything to really see. Should be impressive when finished though. Oak Street to I-40 needs help bad, though. It's like you drove down Sunset in Springdale, but more run down even The areas closest to the intersection of Oak and Harkrider look pretty rough still.

I really like the new exteriors, color scheme and textures also. It reminds me of a mall you might see somewhere in central or south Florida. It just needs a few palm trees.

I know people love to cite US News & World Report rankings, but from what I understand there exists a serious amount of contention over their accuracy among academics. The factors that US News uses often have more to do with the funding that exists for a particular school or program than it's actual educational competency. I'm curious to see who exactly is polled to determine the results. Picking where to spend $20,000 or more for college based on the suggestion of a weekly news magazine (or defending it solely based on arbitrary rankings) is a dangerous thing, IMO.

Talking in another topic about rural Arkansas, someone suggested a rural Arkansas forum. While I like the idea, I don't think we have enough regular posters around here to keep one going, even though there are probably many folks out there off the boards who would be interested in this discussion. So I'm not really for a rural/small-town Arkansas forum, simply because of the lack of numbers. I'm afraid I would be the only poster What say you, fellow posters?

How long until the new Best Buy opens down there? It looked fairly finished when I was in town last weekend.

That actually sounds kinda fun. I'm a sucker when it comes to volunteering for manual labor. Being involved in the neighborhood would be nice, too.

I think you're thinking of the new Chinese restaurant, Hunan Manor I believe. But behind that it looked like there was some grading/dirt work going on in the field next to the Harp's.

Hey, is that a Taco Bell going out on Weddington between the Sonic and the Arvest? And is there something going in behind the Bank of Fayetteville, east of the Harp's? I live out there and was just wondering.

Joe Klein owns Corkys'?!?! I didn't know that. Would explain all the memorabilia -- I guess I just wasn't paying attention. On another subject, can anyone suggest some good rental housing options near UALR?

What you say is true. KHOG (or 40/29, or Hearst-Argyle) went before the Rogers Planning Comission on February 20th to request a Conditional Use Permit to install a broadcast tower at The Peaks in Rogers (the Peaks is best identified by the black-glass, darth-vaderish looking building just of 540 before the New Hope exit; it encompasses the commerical building and residential area behind it). The CUP was approved, and the tower is being relocated from Fayetteville, as well as the studios. The Planning Office was told that KHOG plans to start a joint program with JBU in communications, I suppose allowing internship opportunities in the studio for students. Seems like the TV stations are moving north for some reason. First KNWA opens a brach studio, and now KHOG. But I believe KFSM will stay in Fayetteville, since they are the only station in the market w/ a studio in Ft. Smith.

To a previous poster, I have gotten in touch with the school about the programs my wife & I were interested in, and they seem like they would be good fits. I guess I was just looking for some outisde opinions. The NASPAA accredidation is a bigger deal than I realized when I first applied to MPA programs; you really need to look at those accredited programs if you want some kind of diversity in your classes. My classes at UA feel very repetitive of my undergrad @ UCA. And I would love to live in a house near UALR vs. renting the Lindsey crackerbox I live in here in Fayetteville.

Okay folks, I just wanted to let you know that contrary to what you may read in today's paper, the folks working on the Arena Project in Rogers HAVE NOT SUBMITTED ANY PLANS to the Rogers Planning Office. Their attorney stated that they had submitted in the paper, but this is false. They did send us some (poorly done) 3D renderings of what the arena might look like, but they were so poor I probably could duplicate them in MS Paint. The reality of this (at least, the opinion of some of the planners) is that the information was given to try and achieve some free publicity for a project that -- and I hate to be the bearer of bad news -- seems more likely not to happen. We believe the developer may be having trouble getting financing for the project.

Well, you can get a bachelor's in nursing @ the UA, too, but the teaching technology and the nursing exam pass-rates are much better @ UAMS than UA. I originally came to UA because I thought it would be a good chance to get experience working in a quickly-growing metro area; I thought it would be like a lab of sorts. And it is, but I've decided that I want to get a more broad-based degree, with elements in intergovernmentalism, budgeting, state & local politics, law -- more than just urban/regional planning and city government. So, I thought being close to the capitol/state agencies in LR would be better, and the chance to do research is greater there. But I really like Fayetteville as well, and I'm not sure I want to leave. It's just a difficult decision, and I am bad at making personal decisions!