01 Jun 2025 North Little Rock conquering challenges, creating jobs
By Mayor Terry Hartwick
The city of North Little Rock remains a growing and thriving city! I am so proud of our continued progress north of the river in all parts of our city. North Little Rock is dedicated to maintaining public safety, parks, and public works. It is a great place to live, work, and play!
North Little Rock opened the new Fire Station 11 on Blaze Drive in the east part of our city. Construction of the new Central Fire Station 1 in Mid City is under way and is scheduled to be completed in 2026. The North Little Rock Fire Department maintains a Class 1 Rating from the Insurance Service Office (ISO), which exemplifies the North Little Rock Fire Department’s overall fire protection preparedness of a community. The city opened the Real Time Crime Center, allowing the police department to work in tandem with other agencies and businesses in Pulaski County. I am proud of the Joint Police Academy, which the city developed to train prospective officers and sustain our police department in the future.
Burns Park continued to recover from the March 2023 tornado and reopened in February 2024. The much-loved Funland opened recently, and the new splash pad in Burns Park is also open. The Burns Park Golf Course reached a record year for overall play. Thanks to voters’ approval to continue the half-cent sales tax, the North Little Rock Community Center was renovated, and updates are under way at the four neighborhood community centers. Tennis and pickleball continue to thrive in North Little Rock and are more popular than ever. A new rock climbing area, Crystal Bluff, opened recently at Big Rock Quarry Park on the river. In addition to all of our parks and recreation, there is something for everyone in our city to experience: Dickey Stephens Park, Simmons Arena, Argenta Downtown District, dining and shopping. My office works closely with North Little Rock Tourism to bring monthly attractions and events to our city.
Growth and progress continue as businesses choose North Little Rock as their location. For example, Dollar General Distribution Center provided 200 new jobs and a new capital investment of $140,000,000.
Other businesses that recently relocated or expanded to North Little Rock:
• CFS Technologies: an expansion capital investment of $4,000,000 and 30 new jobs
• Ace Glass and Recycling: a new capital investment of $50,000,000 and 60 new jobs
• Aloft hotel: a new capital investment of $20,000,000 and 40 new jobs
• Tempo by Hilton: a new capital investment of $40,000,000 and 60 new jobs
• Baptist Health Clinic Rose City: a new capital investment of $4,000,000 and 10 new jobs
The new North Little Rock Event Center is the most exciting addition to the city’s landscape. Construction began last fall, and the 31,000-square-foot space is scheduled to be completed in early 2026 at 120 Main St., the site of the former City Services Building. The new center will feature a ballroom, pre-function area and grand entrance, prep kitchen, green room and meeting rooms. It will accommodate up to 1,000 people.
For years, I have turned people away to other cities that wanted a venue of this size. Now, I am excited to welcome vendors, exhibits, and various shows to our city.
