By Haley Smith
Staff Writer
The El Dorado mayor is pushing for the purchase of a commercial property, but members of the El Dorado Works Board expressed hesitation to the idea at a meeting Tuesday.
At the board meeting Tuesday, Mayor Frank Hash presented commissioners with the idea of purchasing the site of the old Pilgrim’s Pride plant, which is a 49-acre plot at 1902 S. West Ave.
Hash said it would be in the city’s best interest to purchase the land as it would be good leverage if any other industrial business shows interest in the city.
“Presently, the city primarily, this body here, doesn’t have an industrial property that we can really call our own, that we can barter or use as an attraction to future plants and businesses,” Hash said.
Hash said by purchasing the property, the city would be able to control what type of business goes into the facility. Pilgrim’s Pride used the site to process chicken into protein for dog food.
“I don’t know if any of you remember the rendering plant that was there … it was a stinky, stinky deal,” Hash said. “We don’t need something that could come in and be unpleasant for that neighborhood, our city or our visitors.”
Hash said the smell from the facility would waft over the whole town.
Hash said Pilgrim’s Pride is offering to sell the site to the city for $2 million, which is why he said he wants to move forward. The property was valued at the Union County Assessor’s office at $12 million and was on the market at $10 million a year ago.
The owners of the plant were first in contact with the Murphy Arts District and El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce to see if MAD could use their parking lot to help accommodate parking for concerts, Hash said. Pilgrim’s Pride was agreeable to having the district use it for the next year, he said, when they also brought up the idea of selling the land to the city.
But board commissioners expressed reservations about the idea of purchasing the property, including the fact that the city would lose $100,000 in property taxes annually.
According to the assessor’s report, the current facility is charged $100,000 in property taxes annually, which is used to fund schools. If it is purchased by the city, no property taxes would be collected on it.
Another concern was how the city would pay for the property. Commissioner Alison Abson said she was not sure from where the commission would pull the money.
Abson said the money should come from the industry budget, but the Municipal Auditorium is currently over budget and is cutting into any funds the city would have had to pay for the purchase.
“If this is to come from the old tax, we will be short $329,000 because the auditorium has eaten into the $2 million we have set to the side for industry,” Abson said.
The commissioners also expressed concern over the lack of a plan for the property.
Currently, Hash said, he has no idea who may want the property or how long the property may be in the city’s possession.
Another meeting has been scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Tuesday with the El Dorado Works Board, members of the city council and El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce President Mike Dumas in order to assess whether the purchase would be in the city’s best interest and if there is any industry or business that would be likely to occupy the space.
Haley Smith can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter at @hsmithEDNT.