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| Public input sought on city center Camden News 10-20-2011 By CHELSEA SPURLOCK Staff Writer City of Camden Mayor Chris Claybaker says he is taking politics out of the planning of the multi-purpose center and putting it in the hands of the people.
For quite some time now, the Multi-Purpose Center Committee has been discussing the construction of a multi-purpose center in Camden. Earlier this month, the committee released an online survey that allows Ouachita County residents to voice their opinions about the center.
According to Claybaker, the deadline for the survey has changed to next Monday, Oct. 24, to allow more people to take the survey and voice their opinions. "We encourage people to let us know what they are thinking and what they are feeling. The survey is a really perfect opportunity for that," said Claybaker.
Claybaker also said that he and executive director of the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development Norm MacNeill have been working tirelessly to come up with ideas for the center so it can be as beneficial as possible for Camden. The two men traveled to Little Rock Tuesday to attend a focus group meeting, which is part of the three-part market survey created by Flake & Associates, which is a marketing firm in Little Rock. Flake & Associates were hired to perform a feasibility study for the multi-purpose center.
The three-part market survey consists of the web-based survey, a telephone survey of travel professionals and the focus group, according to MacNeill.
MacNeill said, "The focus group took eight residents of Central Arkansas and probed for information on their experiences in traveling to different parts of Arkansas their likes and dislikes, what appealed to them about the places visited, lengths and costs of trips and the importance of things like lodging and events in making travel plans."
The group was asked where they would like to visit next in Arkansas and how likely it would be for them to visit certain places, with Camden among the cities listed. "A lot of the people didn’t even know where South Arkansas is They didn’t know where Camden is. But, they didn’t know where El Dorado is either," noted MacNeill.
MacNeill and Claybaker said the focus group tossed out many ideas on how to make Camden more attractive to tourists, including putting some sort of museum in the multi-purpose center. "They stressed that some sort of permanent attraction would be good. Not just a place to house events that would come and go," said MacNeill.
Claybaker said, "I thought it was pretty interesting. They were probed as to what would make them want to come to Camden in terms of a multi-use facility. I walked away with the idea that having a nice multi-use facility would not really be a compelling factor in attracting tourists to Camden. They said we needed something special that would stand out."
Claybaker also commented that he feels more needs to be done to showcase what Camden really has to offer, such as recreational outdoor activities. A full market analysis report will be available in early November to assist the Multi-Purpose Center Committee in making decisions about what to include in the proposal for the center, according to MacNeill.
Claybaker said the committee will soon decide on a site for the center, and the location selected will have a lot to do with the center’s purpose and main uses.
"Once we decide how we are going to use it, then we can decide where we are going to put it and how big it is going to be. Then, we can figure out how much it is going to cost and how we are going to pay for it," said Claybaker.
The mayor noted that some of the ideas on the table for financing the multipurpose center are a quarter of a penny sales tax, bonds and grants, saying, "A multifaceted approach is going to be the best."
If a sales tax were to be used to help finance the building of the center, the sales tax increase would first have to be passed by a vote of the people.
Claybaker said, "It would be so small of a tax increase that if it wasn’t passed, I would think it would show that people do not want this. But so far, what we have been hearing is that people do want this."
MacNeill and Claybaker encouraged all Ouachita County citizens to log on to www.teamcamden.com and complete the five to seven minute survey.
The Multi-Purpose Center Committee will meet Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. in the OPED building. MacNeill invited all who are interested to attend. |
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