Potential community center sites listed Camden News 5-24-2011By ALEX AYRES Staff Writer Potential sites in Camden and the effect the location would have were discussed at the Multi-purpose Center Committee meeting Monday evening.
Mayor Chris Claybaker said that there are at least five potential sites in Camden that include the second Walmart in Camden; the downtown area; behind the SAU Tech Ross Center; near the Comfort Inn; and on U.S. 79 by the fairgrounds.
Marlon Blackwell, architect and department head of architecture development at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, said that an investment like this needs to be strategically placed depending on whether the city is looking for a facility that’s near the current commercial development; if it should be a gateway; revitalize downtown; or a natural feature. He said that the key to economic development is location.
Claybaker said that once they find the niche that this center will fit into, that niche will drive where the center will be located.
A proposal was given to the committee by two architects from Fayetteville expressing interest in building a facility in Camden.
Blackwell and Stephen Luoni, director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center of Fayetteville discussed potential location sites in Camden and displayed a slide show presentation of various architectural projects that are in the works and completed projects.
Luoni said that his team in Fayetteville works mostly with public and civic projects that focus on urbanism and building around the environment. He said that the goal of the facilities that he creates is to promote creative development in Arkansas.
Blackwell presented projects that had been done, and are still in progress including the Fayetteville High School that is currently in the drawing stage; a library in Gentry; a church in Springdale; and a community center in Green River, Utah, that is currently in the fundraising phase.
Claybaker announced that the site visit committee will begin visiting other locations with multi-purpose/ convention centers to bring back suggestions for a facility in Camden. He said that the Multi-Purpose Center Committee has criteria for selecting engineering firms and architectural firms for the city. He said he would like to plan for the committee to do a comparison and decide to work with either Luoni and Blackwell or the firm Polk, Stanley, Wilcox Architects. Luoni and Blackwell said they would return in June with a written proposal to present to the committee. |
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