Benton County planners OK electric service station project

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County planners, on Sept. 16, approved plans for an emergency services station proposed by Carroll Electric on company property near Gravette.

The board discussed the site plan for the station during the Technical Advisory Committee portion of its Sept. 2 meeting and held a public hearing on the proposal Sept. 16.

Mike Jorgenson of Carroll Electric said the facility will be built on 22.24 acres at the northeast corner of Arkansas 59 and Mount Olive Road between Gravette and Decatur. He said it will be an emergency service center for Carroll Electric to provide a quick response during inclement weather.

The 18,500 square-foot building will have offices for two or three employees on normal business days, with office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 18,500 square-foot building will have 14 indoor truck bays, two outdoor fuel storage tanks and a refueling area, and outdoor storage for electric poles and other material. The facility will not be open for customers to pay their bills.

At the initial review, the board questioned Jorgenson about landscape buffers for neighboring residences, drainage on the site and whether water pressure from a proposed six-inch water line extension will be adequate for fire protection purposes. All of those issues were resolved and the board voted unanimously to approve the project.

Robert Smith, a resident of Mount Olive Road, asked the board about access to and from the site. Smith said the intersection of Mount Olive Road and Arkansas 59 had been the scene of three fatality accidents and he was concerned about adding a number of larger trucks to the traffic in the area. The board discussed the access, with driveways on both Mount Olive Road and Arkansas 59, and was satisfied the location could handle the proposed traffic. Mark Curtis, board chairman, suggested it might be appropriate to place rumble strips on the roads leading up to the intersection.

General News on 09/23/2015