Searcy City Council Approves Purchase of New Facility for Sanitation and Street Departments

The Searcy City Council voted Tuesday to approve the purchase of a new property for the Sanitation and Street Departments. The property is located at 1615 Eastline Road in Searcy and is the former home of Bowerman Trucking.

“For several years we have seen the need to move the Sanitation and Street Departments out of the middle of Searcy,” Mayor Kyle Osborne said. “This property came up for sale, and our team agreed it would be a great fit for these departments.”

The property consists of three separate buildings, totaling 37,765 square feet, and sits on 9.3 acres.

“As our city has grown, we’ve seen the need for a larger facility,” Sanitation Department Director Terry Rutherford said. “This new facility will better suit our current needs and also allow for any future expansion that we need to do.”

Contract price for the property is $825,000. City Engineer Mark Lane estimates that with the current price of materials, if the City were to build the facility new, rather than purchase the existing one, it could cost upwards of $4.5 million.

The long-term goal will be to sell the current property that’s located at 409 W. Beebe Capps Expressway to recoup the funds that are being used to purchase this new facility.

“We are always evaluating all of our properties to determine if we are using them for the best purposes,” City Council Member and Chairman of the Grounds Committee, Don Raney, said. “One thing that appealed to us about this property is that minimal modifications will be needed in order for it to work well for our departments. It’s not every day that you’re able to find a property that fits your needs that well.”

While exact modification plans have not been determined, the current facility does already have the needed fencing and security cameras for the departments. An exact timeline on the move will be determined after closing.