DECATUR — Benton County moved a step closer to building a Road Department yard for the west side of the county in Decatur.

The Benton County Quorum Court Finance Committee unanimously voted to have County Judge Bob Clinard proceed with buying 10 acres for the yard in Decatur at a meeting last week.

Clinard rejected a site on Bethlehem Road as unsafe and told the committee the 10 acres, owned by Peterson Farms, better fits the county’sneeds. The asking price for the land is $4,000 an acre, he said.

The new site will be inside the Decatur city limits off of Arkansas Highway 102 West on Spavinaw Street, according to Mayor Charles Linam. While it will not be visible from the road, it will offer the county the advantage of highway access, he said.

Linam said he was very happy to see the county considering a site in Decatur and grateful to Blake Evans for working with the county on the sale of the land.

The county is planning to staff the new road yard with 30 to 50 of its current employees. If the road yard is built in Decatur, those employees will frequent Decatur businesses, such as gas stations and restaurants, bringing more revenue to the town, Linam said.

The Quorum Court’s Finance Committee voted to send the request to the Quorum Court’s Committee of 13 with a “do pass” recommendation. The committee met on Tuesday night after press time. Once approved by the Committee of 13, a final decision will be made by the full Quorum Court.

News, Pages 11 on 02/09/2011