NO SECOND THOUGHTS: Changes

By JOEL PHELPS | The Arkadelphian

Given the shockwave of Henderson State University’s issues — whose effects are undoubtedly still being felt and discussed throughout our community — and the prospect of what Arkadelphia will look like once a major bypass project is complete and Pine Street is widened to three lanes, I’m going out on a limb here to say that our town’s current soundtrack should be Black Sabbath’s 1972 album Vol. 4.

With songs like “Wheels of Confusion” and “Tomorrow’s Dream” the track listing itself conveys an overall message of uncertainty. On a side note, the amount of one particular substance seized most in 2022 in the tri-county area, unfortunately, gives way to adding “Snowblind” to our soundtrack (37 is a lot of blow, huh, Dante?).

But the revered classic of the 50-year-old album would be “Changes” (go ahead, click the link and skip the ads to listen before you resume reading) and I say that’s where Arkadelphia is today: Not in a post-breakup sort of way, but definitely in a sense that, well, we’re going through changes. A lot of them.

I can’t help but wonder if the city will be fully capable of maintaining Pine Street, the city’s main east-west thoroughfare, once ArDOT relinquishes its rights to the road upon the completion of the widening project. I would like to be optimistic that it can, but I have doubts, as well, considering the sad state of many secondary streets throughout the city. Perhaps proceeds from the 1% Move Arkadelphia Forward tax could be used to keep Pine in top-notch shape, but I’d like to believe those at the controls will use that tax money for purposes of moving forward, not getting by.

I’ve lost the best friend that I ever had

Talk around town is abuzz about Sonic Drive-In’s recent closure — I mention that based on how many views our recent article received (you people really, really love your coneys and slushes). Update: We learned after this writing that plans are in the works to reopen Sonic. What’s more is that the short-but-vital 10th Street portion of the bypass will affect KFC, and the widening of Pine will affect Arby’s. We have been working to get in touch with both restaurants, from local GMs up to their corporate PR folks, but so far have gotten only crickets. We’re armed with facts about the relocation of Arby’s, but we’re giving them the chance to talk first before we proceed with a news article. The clock ticks for both establishments before we soon publicize what we know.

There is the chance that the eastern side of Arkadelphia will no longer have those long-loved fast-food establishments, leaving locally owned restaurants like Slim & Shorty’s, 67 Grill, Samantha’s Sweets and Java Primo the sole dining options in the downtown area. While we’re personally fine with keeping downtown a charming center of mom and pop shops, it leaves many others wanting more — especially those who want the convenience to slide through a drive-through during the lunch rush. First World problems? Most definitely.

We shared the years, we shared each day

Ask any old-timer from Arkadelphia about the changes since, say, the introduction of Interstate 30 and Walmart, and he will tell you that commerce has shifted westward, nearer I-30. But what about us folks who live and work on the east side of town? What about the two universities? Are the students and workers there not deserving of options other than Chick-fil-A? Are our city planners taking note of this dramatic shift in commerce from one side of town to the other? Surely there are some business leaders and/or investors in our community who want to see the whole of Arkadelphia thrive.

In love together, we found the way

Within the next few years our school district will educate all of its elementary-age students (K-4) in one central campus on Pine Street rather than at three separate campuses; our old haunts will have been demolished, their operations moved to new and unfamiliar places; 18-wheelers, we’re promised, will traverse outlying highways to free up space for residents and visitors; Pine Street, should it retain its name, will have at least three lanes throughout its entire length; Henderson, regretfully, will no longer be the powerhouse four-year liberal arts college at which so many of us studied.

But life and commerce will carry on, regardless.

What will Arkadelphia look like in five years? Who knows, but it will definitely be a different Arkadelphia than the one Rex Nelson remembers, the one you and I have known the last several years, or the one we’re living in right now. She’ll be different, but hopefully she’ll be better.

But in the meantime, she’s going through changes.