GSCullum

Finally, we get a Best Buy. Where did you hear about it?

Nice pig. Where at U of A is it?

KTHV had a segment on the announcement downtown, but I only caught the tail end of it, so I don't have all the details. It has something to do with EM Jeans, loft apartments, and a rooftop restaurant, if I heard all of it right. I though I saw a rendering of the building in the background of the man they were interviewing, and it looks to be about 3 floors. I'm sure I'll be able to get better information from the newspaper tomorrow. I also noticed that KTHV had a segment the other day on the new interchange for Conway. Here's a link: KTHV Story

Finally, we've passed the 50k mark. Maybe now we'll get that bigger dot on the map.

#8 GSCullum, Conway

Yes please!

I've heard that the movie theater is not going forward. I've heard various rumors about why the project isn't going through, mostly dealing with financial problems and not being able to get a fast food restaurant on the site approved by the planning commission or city council, but none of that can be confirmed as the cause.

I think it's unlikely that any significant amount of work will be done on the loop by the end of this decade. The money allocated by Congress so far for the project won't even cover the cost of buying land for the route. Given current spending issues in Washington, there may not be much more to come for some time. Without additional federal funding, buying land will be the only thing the city could do.

I've talked to various people at Metroplan and the AHTD, and they are very aware of the need for I-40 to be expanded, but it may not happen until 2009 (I don't know why that is). Also, on the loop, most people I've talked to about it seem to think it may be 20 years before it gets built, if it does at all. The city just can't afford something that big. You know, people in Conway complain about traffic and pot-holes, but no one wants to raise taxes to do something about. The problems will just get worse and it will have an impact on growth.

Just to play the devil's advocate, I think we ought naught get too eager in expanding the Arkansas forum until we get a few more members to support it. If Little Rock gets its own forum, the main Arkansas forum is going to be rather dead. If we keep Little Rock up front on the main forum, it may attract more forumers from outside Arkansas to participate here and perhaps nose around the Northwest forum too. Just my thoughts.

The TCBY sign was taken down in the summer of 2004. The name Metropolitan was added on the sides in January, and the Big Blue Bird (well, I guess it's actually white) in February.

Thanks for the welcome! I'll be happy to bring something new to the table.

I guess I found this forum just in time!