Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Monday that White Hall has been awarded a $70,000 Military Affairs grant the city will use to conduct a joint land use study. The intent of the study is to implement projects that will improve the military value of the Pine Bluff Arsenal.
This the first Military Affairs grant awarded since Hutchinson announced the creation of the Military Affairs Initiative in 2015.
The initiative’s goal is to expand the state’s military interests and related economic development. According to a news release, military business interests in Arkansas account for $4.5 billion annually and employ 60,000 people. The arsenal’s annual impact is about $142 million, it supports 650 jobs, and it creates another 400 indirect jobs.
The initiative’s 10-member steering committee is chaired by Brad Hegeman, president of Nabholz Construction. Retired Air Force Col. Robert Ator was recently named director of military affairs and oversees the grant program.
In addition, White Hall Mayor Noel Foster formed a Military Affairs Advisory Committee in July 2016 to focus on needs of the Pine Bluff Arsenal. The committee has achieved success in the past year with the recent National Defense Authorization Act legislation that establishes a chemical defense logistics hub at the arsenal.
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