Open for business
Jonesboro Sun
Grover Welch
3/30/2006
JONESBORO -- Helen Touhey stopped in Newport along her way from Jacksonport at 3 a.m. to pick up her daughter's friend, Xylina Marshall, so they could be first in line at the ceremonial opening of The MALL AT TURTLE CREEK.
"I am looking forward to the shopping and thought the experience of getting here early and being the first, would be something the girls would not forget," Touhey said. "We got here early, and we're lucky enough to be the first in line."
Touhey, daughter Sequoia, and Marshall were the first of more than 2,000 Northeast Arkansas shoppers on hand for the 10 a.m. opening and ribbon-cutting.
"The mall has been a long time coming," said Bruce Burrow, developer and partner in MBC Holdings with Marty Belz. "We, the owners, have waited a very long time to stand here and open this project -- 20 years. This project will keep tax dollars in the community that we have lost for years to Memphis, Springfield and St. Louis. That money will help generate industry and improve education, job growth and community opportunities."
The mall tax benefits are already anticipated by local leaders, said Jonesboro Alderman Harold Perrin.
"The City Council is elated by the beauty of the mall, and we certainly need the newly generated tax revenue for our general budget," he said. "We will be able to use it in many of our ongoing projects, but more importantly is the generation of jobs that have come along with this development. Hundreds of Northeast Arkansas residents are now employed here."
The mall makes a statement, said David Hocker of David Hocker and Associates of Owensboro, Ky., part of the mall ownership team.
"This is a tribute to the Jonesboro area," he said. "These national retailers and new mall tenants would not be here at The MALL AT TURTLE CREEK if the retail market in this area did not look lucrative."
The project took 20 years to develop, but would not have been successful without the leadership of Bruce Burrow, said Belz, partner in MBC Holdings and partner in the ownership team.
"People wonder about a project when it takes so long to come to fruition," Belz said. "But this time the Turtle wins again."
Talmadge Hocker, partner in David Hocker and Associates and the final member of the mall ownership team, expressed excitement about the completion of the project.
Former Jonesboro Mayor Hubert Brodell was on hand for the mall opening. Brodell worked extensively with Burrow and the city to clear the way for the project.
"This is a first-class mall for a first-class city," Brodell said. "This is one of the finest things to happen to Northeast Arkansas in years and worth every bit of the effort and time everyone has put into accomplishing it."
The full impact of the mall on the city and county economy may never be fully understood, said current Jonesboro Mayor Doug Formon.
"The impact, of course, will be studied and tracked over the next year, but the change in shopping patterns for the region and the changes in the character of our community cannot be accurately measured," Formon said. "This is an extraordinary accomplishment for our community and a testament to the growth and power of our community."
Far-reaching effects
The mall's impact on the city goes beyond generating tax revenue. Traffic patterns in that portion of the city have dramatically changed.
Jonesboro Police Capt. Kelly Baggett, who oversees the department's traffic division, said three additional patrolmen were brought in Monday to work traffic in and around the mall.
"Those three additional officers are working anything that could take away manpower from the streets," Baggett said.
The additional patrolmen will work the area for the next three days from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., Baggett continued.
"So far, the street lights have kept traffic moving," Baggett added. "We haven't had an accident in that area yet."
Baggett said the officers would not only work Highland Drive and Stadium Boulevard but would patrol the mall's parking lot as well.
"We're doing patrols to try and prevent any criminal element in the parking lot," Baggett said.
Shoppers flooded the interior of the mall after the ceremony and began spending.
"It seems to have taken off incredibly well," Burrow said. "The crowd is much larger than we had even envisioned."
Claudia Lamberson, a second-grade teacher from Bay on spring break, won the $500 gift certificate awarded by the mall to one of the first 500 shoppers.
"I can't believe I won, and I cannot wait to use it here today," she said.
Mall officials also presented the St. Bernard's Foundation with a check for $25,000, proceeds from Tuesday night's gala events, said Jason Whitley.
"The gala event held Tuesday evening had approximately 1,500 people in attendance," he said. "Some of those guests were invited VIP guests and were not charged, but we were able to present the foundation with $25,000 from The MALL AT TURTLE CREEK."
Sun staff writer Stan Mitchell contributed to this report.
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