By CHRISTY HENDRICKS
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville and Sherwood held kickoff events Thursday for the cities’ joint “Vote for Progress Now” campaign. The campaign’s focus is to get the word out to voters in the Gray Township area to vote yes to liquor by the drink on Nov. 14.
“This is huge for economic development for our city,” Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher told business leaders and community members gathered at the Esther Nixon Library. “When we talk to these national chains about our city, they want to be here. But this issue of being dry is killing us. We can get fast food all day long, but getting nice sit-down restaurants, they’re just not going to come here. Why would they jump through the hoops to be here when they can go right down the road a little bit farther? When our money leaves Jacksonville it stays gone. We need that money here to support this city and all the services we offer, our police and fire, our public works and all these departments that are important to our everyday life in our city. We need this to happen.”
The mayor continued, telling the crowd Dr. Robert Price, chairman of the Progress Now committee, has been working to revitalize downtown Jacksonville.
“The one thing that’s going to come and build these buildings downtown that we’re trying to create is restaurants,” Fletcher said. “We need to have that ability to serve alcohol by the drink to make those things possible for our city.”
Other speakers at the event included J.C. Goff, co-owner of Edge Realty; CM Smoke owner Mike Stevens and Jacksonville resident Becky Gertz.
“One thing I really wanted to touch on is I think our generation, people 30 years and younger in Jacksonville, have kind of been forgotten,” Goff told the crowd. “We need to understand where Jacksonville is now. And then where we can go in the future. This is a small step for our community.”
Goff, a Jacksonville High School graduate, served in the Air Force and was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base.
“I was in a squadron of 300 people and every day it was ‘what do you want to do for lunch? Where are we going to lunch?’ Nine times out of 10 we were going outside of Jacksonville for lunch,” Goff said.
“We weren’t drinking beer. We weren’t having a glass of wine for lunch. It was just having an opportunity to get food that maybe reminds somebody that’s from a different city than where they’re from. It was something that offered something other than fast food.”
Stevens spoke briefly about his experience opening a restaurant in Jacksonville.
“This issue is really something we need to pass for Jacksonville. Opening a new restaurant in Jacksonville is extremely difficult if you want to have a beer by the glass. The opportunity we’re trying to seek is if someone looks at Jacksonville to open a chain restaurant, we will already have that checkmark of liquor by the glass,” Stevens said.
Gertz said she and her husband often go to the bigger chain restaurants in other towns not to have a drink, but because there are more options on the menus.
“It brings more jobs. It brings more people. We’ve had big baseball and softball tournaments in town. All those people leave town to go get something to eat so they can have a drink with their meal or just have more choices,” Gertz said.
The Sherwood kickoff was held at the future site of Woodland Town Center at Oakdale Road and Hwy. 107.
Donnie Crain, economic development director for the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce, said, “This is really a simple measure. The time is now to revisit this issue. It was last elected 60 years ago.”
“Those were different times and different circumstances. Passage of this issue will allow current restaurants to be more profitable and be more competitive. It will also encourage new restaurants to develop in this area. It’s going to increase restaurant sales and economic activity in the area, which is great for the city of Sherwood.
“Bottom line: Residents who drink or don’t drink, will have more dining options. They won’t have to drive 10 to 15 minutes to a restaurant.”
Brooks McRae, Sherwood chamber president and a commercial realtor, told the crowd, “We’re very excited to remove those barriers to competition so that any restaurant that can come into other parts of Sherwood or other parts of Jacksonville, can now come into all of Sherwood and all of Jacksonville. That’s really what the election is about.”
Sherwood Alderman Marina Brooks, who is chairwoman of the Advertising and Promotions Commission, spoke about the city’s hamburger tax, which provides parks and other recreation options in the city. “Hopefully we’ll attract more restaurants because they can serve alcohol. Those restaurants will have tax money coming back into the city, which will have better parks and recreation options for our citizens, especially in this part of the city. It’s time for progress now. Let’s vote for our future,” she said.
Woodland Town Center developer Paul Wilson, who co-owns Salon Professional Academy, already has several businesses set to lease at the shopping center. “We’ve got a restaurant coming in here, Salon Professional Academy, a physical therapist, a financial adviser, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If this passes, I can imagine all the economic development and the quality of life it’s going to improve.”
Business owner Robin Benetz was already planning to add a lunch restaurant to her Woodlands Bakery, located on Kiehl Avenue. “When I heard about this vote, I said this could completely restructure our business. If it passes, we are talking about opening up for dinner as well, so you would have a restaurant for lunch and dinner, including Saturday nights. We’re talking about bringing in a small events center. That’s just what we could bring to this area if this passes,” she said.
“I know that all the other area landowners are waiting for something to happen. Well, it’s happening now. The only way to make this grow and to help the economy and the community and the value of your land in this area is to vote for this to pass,” Benetz said.
Crain closed the event encouraging attendees to help spread the word. “Financial support will be greatly appreciated in any amount. Elections are not cheap. We need volunteers who are making phone calls and ringing doorbells and putting up signs. Really we just want to make sure folks are aware of the upcoming vote,” he said.
The group has a Facebook page, “Progress Now for Sherwood and Jacksonville,” to help get the word out about the vote online.
More than 60 years ago, the now defunct Gray Township voted to become a dry area in Pulaski County. The population of the Jacksonville at the time was 2,474, and Sherwood was 717.
Jacksonville now has 28,808 people and Sherwood has 30,407, according to information handed out at the kickoff events.