Southern Arkansas University will lease a 14-acre tract to Dawson Hotel Management LLC for a Best Western Plus hotel the firm plans to construct near the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Old McNeil Road.
The school’s board of trustees approved the 50-year lease agreement last week, and annual payments will go toward scholarships. The payment amount was not disclosed.
A groundbreaking for the 60- to 80-room hotel is expected to take place this summer.
The project includes a meeting space, and there will be options for developing future amenities on the site, according to a news release. Dawson Hotel Management will be responsible not only for building but for maintaining the hotel.
SAU President Trey Berry said in the release that the firm also plans to use local subcontractors as much as possible. “This is a win-win for SAU and the Magnolia and Columbia County communities,” he said. “We feel confident in what this will mean for SAU and the community in the future.”
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