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Governor Wants to Move War Memorial Under Parks And Tourism

3 min read

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that he will ask the state Legislature to move oversight of War Memorial Stadium under the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Hutchinson said the department would help the 68-year-old Little Rock football venue become self-sustaining. He said the move would give the stadium’s commission stability, access to marketing resources and grants and administrative support. The commission will likely remain intact, he said.

“It’s a natural fit,” the governor said. “It provides strength.”

Hutchinson’s plan comes a week after the governor submitted to legislators a proposal that would cut state support for the stadium in half in the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2018. He proposed that state general revenue appropriate $895,171 to the stadium in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2017, followed by $447,647 in the following fiscal year.

The governor also said he will use state discretionary dollars to pay a national consultant for a study to gather recommendations on the stadium’s future needs. He did not disclose a cost for the study, and said his timeline was not tied to the legislative session schedule, which begins Jan. 9.

The Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee met Tuesday afternoon — after the governor’s news conference — and voted to approve the stadium’s $895,171 budget for 2017-18. But it deferred a decision on the 2018-19 budget to await results of the consultant’s study. 

“Tourism is the second leading industry in Arkansas, and War Memorial Stadium has proven to be an important part of that industry — both culturally and economically,” Hutchinson said at the morning announcement. “This move makes sense on a number of levels, but above all else, it will provide much needed stability while allowing access to Parks and Tourism’s abundant resources, including staff and marketing.”

Kane Webb, director of Parks and Tourism, said his team was ready for the challenge. He said getting an outside look on stadium operations, which the study will provide, is a good thing.

He added that he attended his first Razorback football game at War Memorial and knows “this stadium means a lot to a lot of people.”

War Memorial Stadium Commissioner Brenda Scisson said the stadium needs help and thanked the governor for is efforts. She said the parks department’s marketing abilities are second to none.

The governor, War Memorial Stadium Director Jerry Cohen, Webb and Scisson were asked their thoughts on the Razorbacks playing football games at War Memorial. All four said they’d like to see that continue, but Hutchinson acknowledged that it’s the University of Arkansas’ decision.

Cohen called War Memorial an icon. He said the stadium is also events center, and that moving oversight to Parks and Tourism could result in expansion. He added that a lot of remodeling had been done in the past 15 years.

“There’s only two bathrooms and a kitchen that hasn’t been redone,” he said. “So we’re basically a new structure, other than the concrete and the bleachers.”

Kevin Crass, the commission’s chairman, did not attend the announcement but said in a statement that he was grateful for the governor’s efforts.

“I look forward to working with Kane Webb and the Department of Parks and Tourism to determine ways we can work together to maintain and advance War Memorial Stadium,” he said. “The people of Arkansas, especially the veterans and those who are memorialized, deserve nothing less.”

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