Lyon Keeps Eye on Heifer

A site plan for Lyon College's new Institute for Health Sciences on the campus of Heifer International at 1 World Ave. in Little Rock. 1) Existing Heifer International building, 1st and 2nd floor faculty offices and dean suites. 2) School of Oral Health & Dental Medicine. 3) School of Veterinary Medicine. 4) West parking structure. 5) East parking structure with ground-level retail. 6) Auditorium and retail space. 7) Existing Murphy Keller Education Building, Student Center, Book Store and Spirit Shop. (Cromwell Architects Engineers Inc.)

Lyon College’s plan to put dental and veterinary schools on the Heifer International headquarters campus in Little Rock is continuing.

If you recall, in November the deal to buy the Heifer property for the schools fell through.

That resulted in a lawsuit in December, where Heifer sought $550,000 in earnest money that Lyon College’s partner, OneHealth East Village Development LLC of Little Rock, put up for the purchase of Heifer’s 94,000-SF building and 28-acre site at 1 World Ave.

OneHealth said in its court filing that it is entitled to the money because Heifer wasn’t prepared to close the transaction “in accordance with all material terms of the purchase agreement.”

As that case is pending in Pulaski County Circuit Court, a spokeswoman for the Batesville liberal arts school told Whispers recently that Lyon College President Melissa Taverner and the school’s partners have been working diligently on the project.

“I know Heifer International is still our No. 1 choice as far as the location,” said Carol Langston, director of college communications.

But she didn’t have any more updates.

“We’re still on track with our academic programs and the accreditation process,” Langston said. “So all of that is good to go. We just haven’t nailed down the location yet.”