Decatur group opposes new Simmons plant

— With the recent announcement of the new $300 million Simmons Processing Plant to open between Decatur and Gentry, many have been excited about the prospect for new growth. But some Decatur residents are concerned the new plant could adversely affect both communities.

A group calling itself "Citizens Against New Simmons Facility" began circulating a petition to stop construction of the poultry production facility which is scheduled to begin in 2019.

One of the group's primary concerns is the pressures this new facility could put on both the Gentry and Decatur school districts. Group spokesman Jim Roberts, from Decatur, said the schools would not be ready to take on the influx of families moving into the area.

"The Gentry and Decatur schools are pretty much full to capacity right now," said Roberts. "If you bring in 1,500 new employees, that's going to be 1,500 new families, and that will overload our schools and raise our tax base.

The current enrollment in the Decatur School District is 550 students, down about 50 students from last year. The enrollment reached 650 in 2014. According to Jeff Gravette, Decatur School District superintendent, the school system has the capacity of 800 students with plans to expand all three campuses in the next 10 years.

"In the current configuration (Decatur Northside Elementary, Decatur Middle School, Decatur High School and Decatur Pre-K) the schools are operating under capacity," Gravette said.

The Gentry School System is also under capacity and has room for growth on each campus, according to Terrie Metz, superintendent of Gentry Public Schools.

"As the buildings were built, including the new addition, room for growth was built into the plans," said Metz. "As I examined the data, there is room for growth at every grade level without having to add staff," she said.

Roberts expressed the group's displeasure with the state's involvement with the new plant.

"One thing that I don't like about this is that the State of Arkansas is giving Simmons tax breaks," said Roberts. "I'm not certain, but I believe it may be around 20 million dollars, and they don't even license their trucks in this state. They are licensed in Oklahoma. They are tearing up our roads and we are giving them 20 million dollars!"

Another concern the group raised is the type of workers the plant expects to draw to the new facility when completed in 2019.

"The kind of people -- keep in mind that these are low-income jobs -- this will bring here will turn our cities into something like Noel, Mo.," Roberts said. "Take a look up there. It has turned into pretty much a slum anymore. It will bring our property values down and bring our tax base up."

At present, the Simmons facility in Decatur employs around 800 workers. Most of those workers commute or are bused to the facility from outside the Decatur area, with some living in Oklahoma and Missouri. According to Simmons officials, only 15 percent or 120 employees live in the Decatur area.

The opposition group also raised concerns about the ability of the Decatur and Gentry Fire Departments to handle a major incident at the new facility. But, the cities of Decatur, Gentry, Gravette and Centerton have a mutual-aid agreement to help provide fire protection and medical services. In addition to these four departments, departments from Siloam Springs and Highfill would respond should a major fire or hazmat incident occur.

Citizens Against the New Simmons Facility plans to take its concerns to the Benton County Quorum Court within the next month. The group is waiting on the results of its petition drive in Decatur, Gravette and Gentry against the new facility.

The group may also go before the Benton County Planning Board in the coming months should the Quorum Court fail to take action. The new Simmons site is on unincorporated land in Benton County. To rezone it for industrial use will require a public hearing.

For more information on the group, contact Jim Roberts at 479-549-2337.

General News on 10/25/2017