Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

61 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 the local park system. Bids are being accepted for a four-mile, ten-foot-wide walking trail that will connect three of the community’s parks with the downtown, and several local schools. This is in addition to the state-of-the art Paragould Community Center and Aquatic Center. It houses an outdoor waterpark, an indoor aquatic center, basketball and racquetball courts, a walking track, and a bike track is in the works. Reynolds Park even has a 33-acre lake ideal for fishing and feeding the geese. Growth in all aspects is encouraged to move Paragould’s future in a positive direction. Looking ahead three to five years Agee predicts, “We’ll see more retail trade, definitely more restaurant and retail growth. We have some places in the developmental stages, so retail is something we’d like to tackle. Also, quality of life; to ensure our industries are kept vibrant and healthy. Workforce development will always be something we’re pushing towards.” Hestand adds, “Downtown revitalization goes hand-in- hand with this proactive approach. If we people want to live, work, and play here, then we have to be committed to those three things. We have great jobs, great industrial growth, great housing availability, but we have to work on that ‘play here’ feature and give people a reason to stay. We want them to realize right now why Paragould is the best kept secret in northeast Arkansas.” PROUDLY SERVING PARAGOULD’S INDUSTRIES FOR OVER 40 YEARS PARAGOULD , ARKANSAS