COLUMNISTS : Hopeful developments
Posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2007
It’s dangerous to say such a thing, but this session
of the Legislature—the much-derided Ledge—has
some good things going for it, specifically as far as Northwest Arkansas is concerned. The Ledge could be on the verge of doing right on several important matters. Yes, it’s still early. We’re only 40-some days into the session. There’s plenty of time for things to go haywire. And if past experience is a guide, some things will. But to the casual observer, this session has the feel of one that is proceeding under the guiding hand of somebody who’s been around for a while and knows how things work. Governor Mike Beebe seems to be that somebody. His many years of legislative experience appear to be serving him well. Not only does he seem able to get things done, he also seems to be enjoying his interaction with the legislators in the process. The ability to get results and the cooperative atmosphere are changes from the way things had devolved under the previous Guv, that guy who’s now running for president on the I Lost Weight ticket. What was his name ?
So, what does the apparent smooth sailing mean for Northwest Arkansas ? Everything’s in flux, at least until a bill hits the governor’s desk for a signature. But here are three areas in which Northwest Arkansas could come out ahead.
First, the marshals museum in Fort Smith. The museum would be a tourist draw, a one-of-akind attraction with the history of the U. S. Marshals Service at its core. Federal marshals have been around for more than 200 years, but they’ve got a special connection to Fort Smith. In the late 1800 s, Isaac Parker, the “Hanging Judge,” held court there. He was ably served by a number of colorful marshals.
The ties to the Old West through Judge Parker helped Fort Smith win the competition over where to locate the museum. Fort Smith, with an enthusiastic group of local boosters, now has to find the money to pay for planning and construction of the museum. One Fort Smith legislator wants some help from the state, and Governor Beebe is willing.
Fort Smith will have to navigate the tricky waters of other legislators’ interests in how to spend state money, especially that hypnotizing surplus that’s now reached some $ 844 million. A large part of the surplus needs to be spent on school facilities, and there are legitimate concerns that legislators won’t be able to keep their mitts off of what’s left. But Governor Beebe wants to spend some money on the marshals museum.
Some seed money would be a good investment for Arkansas. Fort Smith has plans for a nationwide fundraising campaign. As things now stand, an appropriation to kick-start the marshals museum could be forthcoming. Second, there’s hope again for an in-patient facility in Northwest Arkansas for the mentally ill. There’s been precious little access to such assistance since Highland Hall in Springdale closed years ago. Now a three-way partnership involving the medical center in Springdale, Ozark Guidance Center, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has proposed a 36-bed unit. Keven Anderson, the state representative from Rogers, is drafting a bill to make more state money available for such facilities. If his legislation flies, Northwest Arkansas could find itself able once again to care for the mentally ill in need who otherwise find themselves—all too often—jailed when they really need psychiatric care.
Third, the nursing home for veterans in Fayetteville. It’s beset with financial problems and something’s got to be done to get it on an even keel. The good news is that, once again, everybody involved seems committed to making the nursing home work. The State of Arkansas isn’t going to be in the position of putting aged veterans out on the street. Some hard choices have to be made. The possibility of building a new home has been raised in order to get out from the complications of an expensive lease agreement. But moving would require repayment of the federal money that went into upgrading the two floors of the old Washington Regional hospital building that the home now occupies. Legislators are reluctant to reimburse the feds, then pay to build an entirely new building, even though they’d likely save a lot of money in the long run. The heavy negotiations to sort out the mess are under way, with the Ledge in session and a new director of Veterans Affairs committed to finding a workable solution. This problem will be solved, too, if only because there’s no other choice. As always with the Ledge, the process on these three fronts might be messy. But positive results would go a long way toward making this session worthwhile for Northwest Arkansas.
—––––– • –––––—George Arnold is opinion editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s northwest edition.
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