===  New Field Progress Report # 1  ===

For almost twenty years we have been fortunate enough to have the use of our present flying site.   Through the generosity of Stephens Production Company and the hard work of many club members we have what many pilots who have visited us describe as, "The best grass flying field in the Southwest"!

Unfortunately that is about over...   In the "not too distant" future we will be loosing this flying site due to the proposed Interstate 49 project, which will come right through our field.

All the members of the Flightmaster Model Airplane Club wish to express our sincere thanks to Stephens Production Company for the use of this property -- you guys have been great!

We first learned of the I-49 project several years ago, and knew that it could possibly impact our flying site, but long before the I-49 project became public knowledge some "forward looking" members and friends made preparation for the almost certainty of the present field being lost at some point in time.

Thanks to them a "New Field Fund" was established for that eventuality and, through the diligent oversight of the directors of that fund, it has been kept available for the club to use.   Through donations, profitable "Fly-In's and other contributions, that fund has grown through the years...   it looks like we are about to need it.

Several meetings ago, in June I think, it was reported that I-49 may impact our flying field earlier than expected. At that meeting it was announced that an engineer with the Arkansas Highway Department had told President Josh Price that the new I-49 intersection with Hwy. 71 was "priority one" and would likely be started within two years.

A committee was formed for the express purpose of contacting Stephens Production Co. in regard to other properties they may have that could be used for a flying field and to locate available property for the club's consideration.   That committee was comprised of Bill Womble, Tom Minton, Don Jones and Ron Roberts.

The following "PowerPoint" presentation was made by Ron Roberts at the September club meeting as a result of the committee's actions:

SLIDE 1, at the left, is a partial map of the "Lower 48" depicting the Eisenhower Interstate Project.   Just to the right of center, you can see the Dark Blue Line representing the proposed Interstate 49 project.   The I-49 Project will eventually provide an Interstate Highway from New Orleans, Louisiana, all the way to Canada!

What you need to notice in this slide is that from Kansas City, Missouri, North to Canada I-29 has been completed for awhile and is already in use and has been for several years.

You will notice a short (50 or 60 mile) segment South of Kansas City that is colored yellow.   This section is not up to Interstate "standards" but is in the process of being upgraded and should be completed within two years.

SLIDE 2 - This is a closer view of what will become I-49 running south from KC to I-10 near Baton Rouge, LA. After this stage is complete, another project will begin that connects from the I-49 / I-10 junction on into New Orleans, LA, which when complete, will provide an Interstate from New Orleans all the way north into Canada.

Look at Missouri:   Missouri still must upgrade the yellow area of US-71 to Interstate standards, and complete a short 5 or 6 mile segment at the MO / AR border.   I have been told that Louisiana has completed everything in the current project except a stretch of about 40 to 45 miles north out of Shreveport to the Arkansas line - and they are presently working on that. Expected completion date is late 2010 or early 2011.

Arkansas has not done much … however I-540 from Alma (I-40) north is to be a part of I-49, so we can say that we are started! I do believe it will take another 10 or 20 years for Arkansas to complete their work since there is not even a roadbed laid from what was Fort Chaffee south toward Waldron.

But, here is what IS important:   The Arkansas Highway Commission gave the okay back in March to spend $30.1 million to finish up the construction of I-49 in Northwest Arkansas and they are working on that now!   That money came from the $421 million Arkansas received from President Obama's stimulus package. According to a newspaper article in Fayetteville, "The rest of that money will be spent on 103 other projects across the state", so… it appears that money MAY be in place to begin.

SLIDE 3 - is the Fort Smith area and what used to be Fort Chaffee.   In the upper right hand corner, pointed to by the RED Arrow, you can see the green and red dotted line showing the proposed path of I-49.   It will connect to I-540 just West of Alma and run South of Van Buren, turn South and cross the Arkansas River about 1 mile East of Lock & Dam 13 and run on down into the "Chaffee Crossing" area, where you can see that the color of the line changes from Red and Green to Light Blue and Green.

That transition is just below Highway 22 from Barling to Central City, and runs south to a point near the Rye Hill Area.   That Light Blue and Green color indicates "Roadbed Underway or Completed"! If you have not been out to the Chaffee Crossing area lately then you may not know that the dirt work for the I-49 roadbed has been mostly completed and they are presently working on the roadbed for the Highway 22 intersection just East of Barling.   So, work is underway!

SLIDE 4 - Well… as you can see from this slide, as the route goes South from the "Chaffee Crossing" Area, the planned I-49 route changes back to Red and Green and continues South and West.

This is the area we are most concerned with!   That BIG Red arrow points to Highway 71 at a point just where the old Highway 71 veers to the left... at the corner of our flying field, and continues on West and South!

SLIDE 5 - is a "Google Earth" photo of the area showing where the old 71 veers to the left from the current 71 talked about in the previous slide -- the area to which the big RED arrow pointed!   More importantly, notice that our field is shown right in the lower center of this photo with the currently projected path of Interstate 49 going right through it!

Well… we have known all of that.   What makes it important now is that according to Mr. Ivy Owen, the Director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, after the Northwest Arkansas section that is presently being completed, is done… the next thing on the priority list is the Highway 71 junction!

Mr. Owen projects that dirt work could begin as soon as 18 months, but maybe as long as 5 years.   What it boils down to is that we need to find a new place and begin preparations to get it ready to use!   So the "New Field Committee" contacted Stephens Production Company as instructed.

Stephens has no land for us!   They are cutting back on the property they own, and are only purchasing the Mineral Rights now, and not the property.   Without anything available from Stephens, the committee thought about the current Fort Smith Landfill property that has been completed and seeded.

Not enough land is available yet, and with the Weather Radar tower and inhabited areas around the landfill site, the committee deemed it unsuitable due to a lack of sufficient space and safety concerns.

So Bill Womble, on behalf of the committee, contacted Mr. Ivy Owen, the Executive Director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, and a member of the "Chaffee Crossing Land Development Board", and asked for a meeting with the Flightmasters New Field Committee.   Tom Minton, Ron Roberts and Bill Womble (Don Jones was out of town) had a meeting with Mr. Owen and a Mr. Larry Evans, the Director of Operations, on Monday, September 1st with the hope that they may have some land that might be available for us.

We were very impressed with the "straight forwardness" of Mr. Owen and Mr. Evans.   Not only did they make us feel comfortable, but they welcomed us!   Both of those men are full scale pilots and both have been involved in modeling in years past.

What they told us was very encouraging!

SLIDE 6 - is a "Land Use Map" of the "Chaffee Crossing" properties and the allocations of what each section can be used for.   They gave us two pieces of property to look at, for which they think we can reach an agreement.   The first is North of the River and adjacent to the Lock & Dam 13 power plant.   It runs from the power lines on the West side over to what will be the I-49 "right of way" on the East.   It runs from just north of the "Wetlands" by the river, North to Gun Club Road.

The second property is on the South side of the River in what was the "Chaffee Preservation Area" pointed to by the Red arrow.   It is this property that seems best to us, so it is this piece of property that we want to recommend.