The numbers are compelling.

A thin line may separate Texas from Arkansas in Texarkana, but compare property taxes for a business located on the Arkansas side with those on the Texas side, and the difference is dramatic.

Arkansas residents and business owners pay roughly 60 percent less in property taxes on comparable property values, explains Harold Boldt, Texarkana, Ark., city manager.

Considering that Texas assesses properties at 100 percent of their value, and Arkansas assesses properties at 20 percent of market value, homeowners in Arkansas benefit from substan­tial savings. “You find yourself paying 60 percent less in taxes when you look at comparable property values,” Boldt says. “That’s pretty significant.”

And for business owners, there is an even greater advan­tage on the Arkansas side of the line, Boldt says, “because you don’t pay taxes any differently than a citizen would who owns a home.”

This favorable tax structure is one of several factors that make Texarkana, Ark., a smart place to do business, according to Bob Nelsen, longtime manager of the Cooper Tires plant in Texarkana. Nelsen, who is now retired, watched the plant grow and thrive in this pro-business environment, including five major expansions between 1964 and 1993.

When it opened in 1964, Nelsen says, the plant employed 400 people and generated some 4,000 passenger-size car and truck tires daily.

By 2004, those numbers had grown to 2,000 workers and more than 42,000 tires a day.

In addition to its appealing tax structure, Texarkana, Ark., offers a highly strategic location and a readily avail­able, skilled workforce with a strong collective work ethic.

Boldt adds that the state of Arkansas allows city govern­ments to serve as conduits for issuing debt for companies in search of capital, which provides even more incentive for busi­nesses looking to relocate.

“And we can do it faster, and probably cheaper, than busi­nesses would be able to do if they are trying to finance on a private-funding basis,” Boldt says.

Arkansas offers numerous incentives for businesses, Nelsen says. “We took advantage of all of those benefits over the years,” he says.

Zapata Grill Mexican Cantina in downtown Texarkana is the kind of place where you bring friends from out of town. With a popu­lar happy hour and an interesting location in an older building, the unique eatery is filling a niche long-open in Texarkana.

“For the longest time, people had to go to Shreveport or somewhere else for that kind of night life,” says Bethany Hanna, executive director of Texarkana Main Street.

Zapata serves up an example of the success that can be had by entrepreneurs creative enough to pass up on strip mall locations and eschew same-old, same-old franchises. Established in 2000, Zapata’s has done so well that it has expanded.

It’s a success story others are hoping to emulate, Hanna says. And others are on the way.

Today, downtown Texarkana is an eclectic mix of busi­nesses drawing people in with arts and entertainment venues and pedestrian-friendly urban living.

The business district along State Line Avenue is flanked on one end by the signature courthouse and post office, which straddle the state line, and at the other by the historic marble train depot.

The retail district, a T-shape formed where Front Street crosses State Line in front of the depot, spans Texas and Arkansas. People have come downtown for years to “cross the line,” then they stay to visit restaurants, nightclubs, art galleries, the theater and special events venues.

Once a bustling place filled with the ebb and flow of train station passengers, downtown Texarkana – like downtown districts across the country – has rein­vented itself in recent years.

Four years ago, a coalition of busi­nesses joined the Main Street program operated by the National Trust for His­toric Preservation, which is a nationwide organization that employs a mix of historic preservation and economic development initiatives to restore and revitalize downtown districts.

The revitalization effort is a true work in progress, Hanna explains. The program involves a four-point approach with attention to design, promotion, organization and economic restruc­turing. It’s an incremental program and it takes time, she emphasizes.

“Downtowns didn’t decline overnight and they don’t come back overnight either,” Hanna says.

Since the Main Street program launched in Texarkana, more than $200,000 in grant money has been secured for its restoration and revital­ization efforts.

Visible signs of all the hard work are evident when visiting the area today.

“All of the buildings that are usea­ble and in good condition have been purchased, as well as some that need work,” Hanna says. “You’re doing pretty well when people are finally saying ‘I’m going to fix that up.’”

Experts say the Texarkana, Ark., economy is poised to take off in the next 10 to 20 years, and the Texarkana Regional Airport could account for a great deal of the wind beneath those wings.

While most talk centers on plans for major road projects that will transform the area economy, the region’s air travel also is slated to improve dramatically in coming years.

The airport is about to embark on a major expansion project that will dramatically change its appearance, function­ality and access, says Steve Luebbert, airport director.

Contractors already are moving dirt on the site, and Luebbert says he expects to cut the ribbon on a brand-new passenger terminal by 2012.

The new commercial facility will include new parking, a new fire station, a new rental car facility, new passenger terminal and more convenient access. While the overall size of the facility has yet to be determined, Luebbert says “it will be anywhere from 15,000 square feet on up. The intent is to provide room for growth.”

Once the new passenger terminal is open, the airport also plans to build a platform for Amtrak passengers. Creating an intermodal transit facility is the goal, which will open up access to new sources of money that “very few communities meet the requirements to tap,” Luebbert says.

Already, the airport is a powerful economic engine. In addition to commercial traffic and general aviation business, it appeals to corporate entities whose executives travel by air.

“You’re a nonstarter if you don’t have a commercial air­port,” Luebbert says. “If you don’t have an airport that can handle the corporate jets or base then the corporations aren’t interested in locating here.”

The current facility and its location compose “a little piece of history that goes back past World War II,” Luebbert says.

Luebbert says that in the 1920s, aviators would take off from the horse race track, once located at Spring Lake Park. Following a tragic accident, Howard Webb, the son of a dairy farmer and the longest-serving airport director, moved the airfield to a dairy east of town that offered more clearance.

“By 1928, the city of Texarkana decided that Howard was on to something,” Luebbert says. “So while 1928 is officially the beginning, we got our start with a crash out at Spring Lake Park.”

From the original 190-acre dairy farm, the airport has grown over the years to its present-day size of approximately 1,000 acres. It features two runways, a 6,600-foot strip and an alternate runway that is 5,200 feet long. American Airlines and Continental both serve the Texarkana Regional Airport, connecting it with Dallas, Houston and beyond.

The airport operates about nine flights daily.

In the Texarkana Arkansas School District, the emphasis is on achievement, with a mission of providing “an exceptional education for all students in a quality environment that develops citizens who are responsible, ethical, literate, competent and productive.”

A string of honors, championships, recognition and surg­ing test scores during the 2006-2007 school year attests to the district’s growing success in reaching its goals.

Genia Bullock, the district’s community involvement coor­dinator, offers a list of kudos the award-winning district has garnered. The list includes:

• College Hill Middle School received the 2007 Shannon Wright Award for excellence, recognizing exemplary perfor­mance statewide.
• College Hill Elementary was one of only two schools in Arkansas to be named a 2007 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Robin Stover, Arkansas High School principal and former College Hill Middle School principal, was named 2007 Middle School Principal of the Year for Arkansas.
• The district’s North Heights Junior High, College Hill Middle School and Fairview Elementary School are recognized as prestigious Explorer Schools by the U.S. Department of Education and NASA.

Student athletes from the district have earned the spot­light, as well. TASD high school baseball, tennis and football teams all took state championships for the 2006-2007 school year, a feat the football team repeated for 2007-2008.

The arts, too, are well-represented. The Arkansas High School band was selected to play in the 2007 Sugar Bowl, while the high school dance team was tapped to perform at the 2007 Cotton Bowl.

Texarkana Arkansas School District employs more than 900 and has more than 4,000 students. 

Music, food, games, fun and, of course, fireworks are on the calendar for this year’s Sparks in the Park, an annual Independence Day celebration that will be held at the Four States Fairgrounds for the second straight year.

With more than 15,000 people on the grounds at the 2008 event, and even more folks watching the fireworks, the city of Texarkana, Four States Fairgrounds and event sponsors hope to make this year’s occasion even bigger.

Dwight Duncan, Four States Fairgrounds president, says 2008’s event attracted close to 25,000 people enjoying the fireworks display, from inside and outside the fairgrounds. There are also climbing walls, bungee jumping, a petting zoo and inflatable, bouncy toys for kids to enjoy.

Duncan says that the celebration is one of many examples of how the city of Texarkana, Ark., partners with local entities to bring commerce to the region and improve quality of life for residents.

“It helps promote tourism and tax revenue,” Duncan says.

Ron Bird, general manager of GAP Broadcasting, one of the event’s major sponsors, says his company likes being involved in something that everyone in the community can enjoy and benefit from.

“It was a real successful event, and we just want to make it bigger and better,” he says.

According to Duncan, the success of Sparks in the Park was a result of the city and the event’s sponsors.

“The city did a great job of traffic control, especially the Texarkana Police Department, and GAP Broadcasting brought in different games,” he says.

The Four States Fairgrounds offers air-conditioned build­ings and free parking, something Bird points out is one of the benefits of holding the celebration there.

“The fairgrounds is a great venue for it, with the paved area and the circle around the midway and some air-conditioned buildings for people to get into,” Bird says. “It’s a huge community event, and it’s free and anybody can go to it. Our listeners love it.”

Look at the city of Texarkana on a map, and you’ll see a web of roadways surrounding the area, with Texarkana as the epicenter.

Interstate 30 and the nearly completed leg of I-49 trace bold lines across the landscape, offering major routes for trucking and travel. In addition, U.S. Highways 59, 67, 71 and 82 supplement what has become one of the major distribution hubs in the Southeast.

Jerry Sparks, director of economic development for the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, says that the presence of two Class I railroads, Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern, is also a unique asset.
“If someone is here, their goods and services can get anywhere they want,” he says.

Texarkana is approximately a five-hour drive from several large markets, including Houston, Austin, Memphis and Dallas.

As many as 25 trucking companies operate in the region. The largest freight hauler is Southern Refrigerated Transport, whose headquarters is located along I-30.

The facility, built in 2006, takes advantage of Texarkana’s unique location and was designed to support a 1,000-truck operation, a number the company has nearly reached.

Kay Wilhite, sales coordinator at SRT, says the company has approximately 850 drivers and operates in the continental 48 states and Canada. SRT employees drive 800 trucks that pull 1,000 refrig­erated and 200 “dry” trailers.

The traffic count on I-30, where a $153 million upgrade is under way, is between 60,000 and 70,000 cars a day. The extensive changes involve converting frontage roads along the I-30 corridor into one-way roads, relocating entrance and exit ramps, and adding and recon­structing overpasses.

“We are in the midst of a large pro­ject that will facilitate the movement of traffic,” Sparks says. “That’s planning for the future.”

Along the same lines, the well-known Trans-Texas Corridor may run right through the Texarkana region, but plans have not been finalized. Also called the “NAFTA Highway,” the route could eventually reach from Mexico to Canada.

The Trans-Texas Corridor propo­sition is in response to the booming truck traffic in the region. The route would follow U.S. Highway 59.

Though Texarkana is located within arm’s reach of six states – the two obvious ones, Texas and Arkansas, plus Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi and even Tennessee – Sparks still describes the area as “small-town America.” He stresses the importance of people, not just companies, being able to reach goods and services, such as hospitals.

“We have to think that way,” he says. “How do you get from point A to point B? Transportation for a rural area is the lifeblood of the economy.”

With the opening of the new Best Western in Crossroads Business Park, the city of Texarkana is heralding the type of development and interest that will bring more commerce to the region.

The 1,000-acre business park is conveniently located north of Interstate 30, between State Line and Jefferson avenues, and south of Sugar Hill Road (Highway 296).

While the first 40 acres are the focus of development right now, that parcel is off to a good start, with another hotel chain, Holiday Inn Express, rapidly moving toward comple­tion of its new location.
Harold Boldt, Texarkana city manager, says the addition of the hotels to Crossroads Business Park will be a draw to attract restaurants and major retailers.

“Anything going into a new type of development like this is going to be of help to the community,” he says.

Aven Williamson is developing the property, and Boldt says he is pleased that certain standards, like underground utilities and upscale landscaping, are being undertaken.

“We are trying to carefully find the right partners in there,” he says. “We want to make sure that the development is landscaped the right way, that there are walking paths through the district.”

Texarkana Mayor Horace Shipp says the city put a thoroughfare through the parcel to make it marketable, but a good developer and an excellent location will make it an even more desirable place for businesses to set up shop.

“It’s a fine location,” he says. “Those hotels will take advantage of a market that goes down I-30; it’s just a busi­ness opportunity.”

Boldt hopes to see a hotel convention complex go into the business park, and wants to consider retailers that have the ability to create a tourist-based destination, like an IMAX theater or a Bass Pro Shop.

Considering Texarkana’s location, Boldt says it makes sense to seek retail outlets that will take advantage of a high volume of traffic and Arkansas’ reputation for excellent outdoor opportunities, including hunting and fishing.

With highway and interstate additions and improvements, truck traffic is expected to double in the next few years.

According to Mayor Shipp, the traffic count on I-30 is already between 60,000 and 70,000 cars a day.

“We’re halfway between Little Rock and Dallas, and probably the largest metropolitan area between the two,” he says. “It’s very rural, yet there’s a lot going on here.”

Brenda and LaVaughn Cook love cars so much that they’ve traveled all over the United States to see them.

They don’t have to anymore, though, since they started Cruisin’ Downtown T-Town, a regular event that features muscle cars, street rods, classic cars, trucks and other vehicles in downtown Texarkana, Ark.

The Cooks began the cruise-ins in downtown Texarkana in 2007. The last cruise-in of 2008, held in September, featured 93 cars lined up on Front Street, between Walnut and Wood streets. The event attracted 174 different cars over the course of the 2008 season.

The 2009 cruise-ins are being held from 6 to 9 p.m. on the third Friday of each month, April through September. The first event of the year will be April 17. Admission is free, and food, including hot dogs, drinks and popcorn, will be available for purchase.

Brenda Cook says the cruise-ins attract mostly classic cars, not what she calls “parade cars” or antique cars.

“A lot of people in this town have classic cars, and they’re sitting in their garages and they never get them out,” she says. “It’s not a contest. Everybody’s car is equal, and you get to see some of everything. We might even get a brand new Charger that somebody just got and wants to show off.”

Cook’s husband restores cars, and they currently take a 1966 Chevy Nova to the cruise-ins.

“He’s got it like it would have been when we were in high school,” she says. “My husband likes to talk to people about what they’ve done to their car.”

The Cooks set up a public-address system, and there’s rock ‘n’ roll music and even door prizes.

“I just love downtown Texarkana,” says LaVaughn Cook, who is a native of the region. “When I was a kid, we went to town every Saturday.”

Texarkana Mayor Horace Shipp says the cruise-ins are a great opportunity for folks to come back to downtown.

“It’s a social event that has an old-time feel,” he says. “They are doing a great job of bringing a very attractive and successful event downtown.”

LaVaughn Cook credits the support of the City of Texarkana, which has not only issued permits for the event, but also provided electricity, a bathroom facility and even funds for door prizes.

For every 60 cars, Cook says, there are 120 people, since folks usually come in twos. And, of course, there are the people that come just to look at the cars.

“It has brought all these people that come to town,” Cook says. “It’s hopping down there.”

For more information on Cruisin’ Downtown, the Cooks can be reached at (870) 779-1655.

With more than 600 kids participating each year, youth baseball is big in Texarkana.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Texarkana, Ark., will be hosting the Dixie Youth O-Zone (open base) World Series, for players 12 and under, Aug. 1-6 in 2009. The tournament will be held at the North Park Baseball Complex in Ed Worrell Memorial Park. 

“When you talk about bringing 12 teams in here and putting on a week-long tournament, it’s kind of a prestigious deal,” says Randy Lacy, vice president of the Texarkana Baseball Association.

A city must meet stringent guidelines to host a Dixie Youth tournament, including proving its ability to provide adequate accommodations, dining opportunities and, of course, playing fields that meet Dixie Youth Baseball’s specifications for such things as fields, dugouts and lighting.

A new two-story building at the North Park Baseball Complex was built in anticipation of submitting a proposal to host the tournament, says Lacy. The building houses a concession stand, rest rooms and a separate scorekeeping room, another league requirement.

Lacy says the motivation to host the tournament was twofold: Arkansas has never hosted a Dixie Youth World Series. With two national directors from the area and one state director, it seemed like something that ought to happen to honor their contributions to the league, he says. And, the baseball association and city leaders recognize the economic impact of teams coming to town for the tournament.

Texarkana Mayor Horace Shipp says hosting the Dixie Youth tournament has many benefits.

“We can do a lot of things that are good,” he says. “Some have far-reaching impacts, and some have a lesser impact, but this is one that’s recreation and it’s an opportunity to show our town off.”

Many of the improvements to the baseball complex over the past five years have been so that the city can host a Dixie Youth World Series, the mayor says.

With approximately 62 teams in the city league, and 10 solid weeks of baseball, the association has more than established its credentials to host an event of this size.

“The people who are involved are good at operating a baseball program,” Shipp says. “It will be good for Texarkana to host something like this.”

The new Equine Center at the Four States Fairgrounds in Texarkana is a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled facility that houses 110 permanent horse stalls.

An additional 100 horse stalls can be provided, for a total of 210 stalls, and a covered arena can accommodate barrel racing and other equine events.

“It’s kind of like a field of dreams, you build it and they will come,” says Dwight Duncan, Four States Fairgrounds president. “My phone has been ringing off the wall.”

The first event at the new center in February 2009 featured the Red River Barrel Racing Association, which has booked three dates total in 2009. The Arkansas Arabian Horse Club plans to hold its state show in April, and Duncan is meeting with other equine groups that plan to use the 35,400-square-foot facility as well. The facility can seat up to 8,000 people.

The center expects to host one of the largest livestock auctions in the state, and also plans to host the largest bucking-stock sale in the country in March.

“We have the largest seating capacity facility between Shreveport and Fort Smith, and Dallas and Little Rock,” Duncan says.

The 104-acre fairgrounds hosts a diverse set of events and houses a state-of-the-art Agricultural Learning Center and RV park.

In addition to its facilities, Duncan says, location is one of the advantages that Four States Fairgrounds and the new Equine Center offer.

The fairgrounds are directly off Interstate 30 and centrally located two hours from Little Rock, one hour from Shreveport, La., and less than three hours from Dallas.

The center’s cost came to nearly $900,000, and Duncan says the money has been well spent on top-of-the-line amen­ities, such as stalls with electricity and dump stations.

“With the type of animals we’re going to have in here, you’ve got to have top-notch stalls,” he says. “I’m getting the best we can get for our dollar.”

With major horse shows and sales within 200 miles of Texarkana, Duncan hopes to use the city’s convenient loca­tion to lure big names, like the American Quarter Horse Association and the Palomino Horse Association, to the new center, which can bring commerce to the city.

Duncan points out that visitors to the fairgrounds and Equine Center bring “heads in beds” and people eating in restaurants. This benefits the city, which is able to utilize tax money from these sales, which benefits area residents.

“I’d classify us as being partners with the city of Texarkana, Arkansas,” he says.

Arkansas would like to ensure that every child within the state has an available fishing lake within 30 minutes of home.

With that goal, the community set about redeveloping Texarkana’s Bobby Ferguson Park. The park, located at Arkansas Highway 245 and Interstate 30, had a small lake, walking trail and outdated playground equipment.

Improvements will include a larger fishing lake with handicap-accessible piers. Walking trails will be expanded, the playground refurbished and equipment updated. A new park pavilion will be a gathering place and the site of public workshops.

Support has come from city and state funds, including grants from the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Texarkana Mayor Horace Shipp estimates improvements are about two-thirds complete at the 24-acre park.

Gary Jeans, interim public works director, recently invited the public to gather fish from the existing lake while it was drained in preparation for the new, larger lake.

“It’s right at the first intersection in town,” Shipp says. “It presents a warm and welcoming statement to people coming into town, and it’s an enjoyable environment for our own community.”

Dating back to the early 1900s, Buhrman-Pharr was once the largest retail and wholesale hardware business west of the Mississippi River. In December 2006, the building reopened as the Buhrman-Pharr Loft Apartments, with 40 units that boast the beauty of preserved historic elements, exposed brick and beams.

Developers installed new elevators, windows, plumb­ing, electrical and HVAC systems throughout. Amenities include a fitness center, children’s playroom, building-wide wireless Internet and fire-sprinkler system.

Residents enter with secure, electronic key cards through a four-story atrium lobby with stunning skylights. Several units were specially designed to accommodate the needs of residents with disabilities. Special care was taken to restore two of Buhrman-Pharr’s most distinguishing features, a rooftop water tower and exterior hardware sign.

The Vanadis Investment Group managed the project for its client, Family Service Agency. Both market-rate and tax-credit units are available, providing for the housing needs of families at varying income levels.

“Downtown,” says Mayor Horace Shipp, “has a desti­nation feel, and it’s just a natural for development.”