Lyon College of Batesville and the City of Cabot on Monday finalized a lease agreement for the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine.
The agreement was approved by the Lyon College Board of Trustees Nov. 12 and received approval from the Cabot City Council at Monday’s meeting. The school will be located on a multi-acre campus near Exit 21 in Cabot, adjacent to Game Time at The Grounds city park.
Groundbreaking is planned for early 2025. The agreement follows a May announcement from the college that its dental school would be in Little Rock and its veterinary school in Cabot. In November 2023, the college’s original plan to locate the dental and vet schools in the Heifer International headquarters in downtown Little Rock fell through.
At the council meeting, the City of Cabot approved a resolution to sell approximately 20 acres of property for $5.7 million to developer 11 Arrows for the development and construction of property for animal services facilities. The City of Cabot will lease the property and use a portion of it for Cabot Animal Support Services facilities, a veterinary clinic, administrative offices and other related uses.
The city will sublease the remainder of the premises to Lyon College, from which it will operate the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine. The city and Lyon will also collaborate on an animal services clinic to provide a wide variety of services, including those at reduced cost and no cost, to the Cabot community.
The new veterinary school is expected to be the first graduate program for veterinary science in Arkansas. The campus will also feature the Cabot Animal Services Center, which will offer hands-on training opportunities in animal care, health management and community welfare to students.
Under the terms of the lease, the City of Cabot will also provide facilities for Lyon College to develop the veterinary program.
“Together, we are creating a hub for veterinary excellence that will not only benefit our residents and animals but also contribute to the advancement of veterinary medicine regionally and beyond,” Cabot Mayor Ken Kincade said in a press release.
The release also said that the economic impact of this project is expected to be “significant,” with new opportunities for educational growth, health care improvements and workforce development in Cabot.
Sign up for Daily E-news
