Camden to be site of state lottery claim center

Camden News Staff Writer DONNA COLLINS

Camden News 9/10/09

   It’s official, Camden will be the home of an Arkansas Lottery claims office, state Rep. Willie Hardy of Camden confirmed today. The Camden location, the former Cash Advance site in Garden Oaks Shopping Center, was selected over other sites in El Dorado and Warren, Hardy told the Camden News.
He said he and state Sen. Garry Smith worked hard to land the site as well as the two jobs that go along with managing a lottery claims payment center.
   Hardy explained that there will be at least two worker positions related to the site, one with a salary of about $20,000 annually and another at about $43,000 annually.
    "We fought hard because of those jobs," Hardy said about himself and Smith. "Two jobs are two jobs, and both are with good salaries." Hardy explained that anyone interesting in applying for the local positions should send a resume to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. He said information can be found on the commission’s Internet site lotterycommission.arkansas.gov.

     Hardy praised efforts by Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development executive director Norm MacNeill. "Norm put together an impressive package," Hardy said about information MacNeill gathered and submitted to the commission.
   "One of the reasons the commission selected Camden is because the site is ready to go," Hardy said, adding that the lottery is expected to be up and running in 18 days.
   According to Arkansas Business, the commission announced Wednesday that a countdown clock to the Sept. 29 launch date can be found at myarkansaslottery. com.
   Shopping center owner and Camden Alderman L.E. Lindsey told the Camden News today that he has a letter of intent from the lottery commission about leasing the site. Lindsey said the announcement is good news for Camden and for other Garden Oaks tenants. "What’s better than having someone with a pocket full of money walking around a shopping center?" Lindsey said, referring to payoffs potential winners could receive at the claims site.