By John R. Schirmer
News-Leader staff
Developing Howard County will host its final community meeting Tuesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. at UA-Cossatot in Nashville.
Facilitators will include Logan Benson and Brittany Lutz of the Arkansas Economic Development Institute.
Benson, Lutz and Howard County Economic Development Director Vanessa Weeks will present the key insights developed throughout the planning process, ensuring that they represent community needs, according to Weeks.
The session will “help identify the most critical goals and projects for economic growth and outline priority actions,” Weeks said.
“Participants will discuss the timeline for finalizing our plan and learn how we’ll track progress and move from planning to action,” Weeks said.
The meeting will be a follow-up to last month’s focus groups, which identified the county’s strengths and weaknesses. The groups included job creation and business relations; community branding, pride and entertainment; housing development and quality; and taxation and public information.
Benson told participants that he would take their comments back to AEDI and work on a plan which included what they said.
The focus groups and community meetings are part of the process to develop Howard County’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, which is part of the effort to attract new businesses and industries and retain those which are already operating.
Developing Howard County was formed in late
2023 following Husqvarna’s announcement that its Nashville operation would close by the end of 2024. The closure resulted in the loss of more than 700 jobs.
Phoenix Investors of Milwaukee, Wisc., bought the Husqvarna property and has been searching for a buyer or buyers.
Recent site visits by prospective buyers have been promising, according to Weeks and Nashville Mayor Larry Dunaway.
