Oh, thanks so much for this. After the three previous posts I thought some strange logic experiment had broken out all of a sudden. But, you can always count on Little Rock, waiting until the eleventh hour, after the bonds had already been sold, the building designed, and a budget established, to pull a meaningless political manuever, with absolutely no planning or value, just some meaningless arguments, tons of influence, and a facebook page. Isn't that how they're selling those stupid bridge ideas?

While we're off the subject, have you seen the new playground they're building out of a ten foot high stone structure at War Memorial? They call it the Widowmaker.

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That's the ticket, Fifty for the Future. Create a Facebook page and that will instantly convert all the great unwashed masses to your point of view. Right!

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So because the push to locate the school on Main comes late, it's inherently a bad idea? What a ridiculous position. Whatever your opinion may be regarding city officials, you shouldn't let it cloud your judgment as to the merits of Main St. versus Bryant. For the long-term success and fulfillment of the school's vision, you'd have to be pretty dense not to see that this is a no-brainer. What success will they have in recruiting talent to Bryant? Young people who are creatively minded typically want to be in an urban setting with an eclectic mix of people and opportunities. You can't accomplish that in a setting surrounded by big-boxes, cheap motels, and chain restaurants. It's as simple as the choice between a location rich with culture, history, and personality, and the opportunity for tourism and notoriety, versus a location void of any of these qualities

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Oh yeah, a real no brainer, like all of the other ideas that have gone downtown to die for lack of planning and support. As soon as you develop a plan and stragety for LR development it will be the first time. You don't want to address the issues just argue perceptions because none of the facts are in your favor. Please be my guest. We get plenty of that from LR.

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"a location rich with culture, history, and personality,"

6th and Main? What century are you living in?

And, in case you hadn't noticed, chain restaurants and big box stores employ most americans these days. No thanks to people like you who could actually put up a fight and restore america's main streets and town squares instead of just living off the bones. But, then the money would have to actually go for something besides overpriced junk being peddled by the Country Club crowd.

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" like all of the other ideas that have gone downtown to die for lack of planning and support" -FullThrottle

Please share any recent examples. The only thing I can think of that you might be referring to is the "Main Street Mall" from the late 80's. Today I look downtown and see museums, hotels, restaurants, offices, libraries, the best park in LR, a thriving convention center, affordable apartments and lofts, high-end condos, and the list goes on. Hundreds of millions of private dollars have been invested in the River Market District (not to mention Argenta) over the last 15 years, and new investment continues today with projects currently underway for more affordable apartments on Main near 3rd and a new hotel at 3rd and Commerce. And it all started with the vision of the Clinton Center, Main Library, and River Market Hall all working in a synergistic manner. Many of the leaders responsible for the success of the River Market and Argenta have acknowledged that Main Street is the next logical step in restoring downtown, and the Downtown Partnership, along with other groups, have made it their focus.

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Please, don't stop there, scoop. What else is planned for Main Street besides the school? (Although, you've got your history abit out of order.)

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anymouse, to answer some of your questions:

"When did the southern part of Pulaski County become Bryant?" While the originally proposed site isn't literally in Bryant, it might as well be, and calling it Bryant illustrates that point. It's just over a mile from the Saline County line, south of the I-30/I-430 interchange, and at the southwestern most point of the city.

"You do realize that the culinary program is full, right?" yes, I am aware that the program is currently full at around 350 students with about 150 more waiting to get in. If the status quo and an expanded facility to accommodate those 150 were the extent of the vision of the school's potential, then this location would be fine. Fortunately, the school's aspirations are for a much larger program (the ultimate goal of 900 students has been mentioned) and a world-class reputation and a large draw from beyond just Arkansas. Do you really think that SWLR is the proper setting to accomplish such lofty goals?

"And is it not the stated mission of PTC to serve Pulaski AND Saline County (Faulkner too?)?" Absolutely. And in locating the facility on Main Street, the students from all 3 counties will have the maximum opportunity for hands-on experience. Nowhere else in the state offers a higher number of hotels and restaurants (mostly local) within walking distance from the school (96 to be exact). 281,000 convention attendees annually. $86 Million in annual revenue. Not a bad place to learn, is it?

"Why was LR not interested in the culinary school until it became successful?" Well, for one thing, there hasn't been talk of expansion of the program until recently, so there really hasn't been a role to play as a municipality. Once the desire of the board was made known, the folks in LR began lobbying for a downtown location.

"yes I am biased since right now the program is very close and not a hassle to drive to for the son who is thinking about attending." That's understandable, but think about those students from Faulkner county. And even broader, think about the reputation that the school is building towards and how that will be enhanced by an urban location in the heart of downtown (24 of the nation's top 26 culinary schools are in urban settings.) Think of how much the value of a degree from the Arkansas Culinary Institute will become if this is done right.

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FullThrottle, your question was: "a location rich with culture, history, and personality? 6th and Main? What century are you living in?"

My question back to you is "what city are you living in." Have you been downtown lately? And I wasn't referring only to 6th and Main, but the downtown entertainment district in general. But since you want to know about the culture, history, and personality of 6th and Main, how about the Rep right across Main Street, and across 6th is the old Lafayette Hotel, now condos and (affordable) apartments that are almost 100% occupied. For the broader scope, the laundry list mentioned above by Delta pretty much covers most of the numerous downtown cultural outlets even though it left off the art galleries, sculpture garden, performing arts in Robinson Auditorium, multiple music venues, The Butler Center, Capital Hotel, Clinton School, etc. Main Street doesn't exist in a bubble, it's part of downtown and the direction in which redevelopment and tranformation is moving. And the Culinary School can play a major role in that transformation. Imagine the positive effects of 900 students in the downtown area. I just can't conceive how you could be against such a thing if you truly want both the school and Main Street to succeed.

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