Located at the place where the Paramore and Gould railroads met, the city of Paragould, Ark., is as unique as its name. Incorporated on March 3, 1883, when it was still an uncultivated timber-covered tract, it became the Greene County seat a year later.

Although Paragould has been the 19th largest city in the state since 1953, its municipal departments were operated out of a rag tag assortment of repurposed facilities until now.

On Oct. 4, the city unveiled a new $7 million city hall that was made possible thanks to funds provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new building is twice the size of the previous one and will grow with the city over the next 50-100 years.

“We wanted to make sure that everyone who works here felt comfortable in this space,” said Paragould Mayor Josh Agee. “It’s been really exciting to see it come together.”

The opportunity arises

          In 1953, the Paragould municipal offices and police department were located in an old hospital building that had been converted into a city hall and courthouse. Four decades later, when that building was slated for demolition, the city moved across the street into the former Paragould Light and Water Commission building, which had recently been vacated.

By 2015-16, city officials realized they were quickly outgrowing their space and needed to expand. When the adjacent parcel became available, the city purchased it, which opened the door for an opportunity if one should come knocking.

          That knock came in the form of COVID-19 funding, which was used to build pavilions and install wi-fi hotspots in city parks so that every student had access to their online curriculums. That left about $7 million, earmarked for a new 20,000 square-foot municipal building and police department that would be constructed on the vacant parcel.

Once the new building was complete, the current facility was demolished. The parcel now serves as a parking lot for the new Paragould City Hall.

          “There was a lot of talk about what to do with that COVID money,” Agee said. “We sat down with the finance team and the administration and said that we were really hesitant to use that money for raises because we weren’t sure we could sustain it long-term, so we decided to do something that would make an impact for generations to come.”

          Agee said the planning process took more than a year because they made sure to get input from every employee about what they liked and didn’t like about the current set up, and how the new building might better meet their needs. After gathering that feedback, city administrators hired Tate Construction to create a thoroughly modern facility that would reflect Paragould’s history as a railroad town.

A community center

          The new Paragould City Hall features a council room and multipurpose space that takes up the entire east side of the building. Previously located in the back and infamous for its low ceiling and dim light, the new council space has its own entrance and kitchenette for community gatherings.

There was also a need to give the human resource department a more discreet location due to the sensitive nature of their work. Once located at the front of the building, employees would have to walk past several offices to reach HR, which led to in house gossip: Now, employees as well as prospective employees can pull up to the back entrance and access the department privately.

          “They also have their own bathrooms because they do a lot of drug testing,” Agee said.

          Restrooms were another source of concern among city employees who preferred private places to freshen up during a long day. While the planners could not afford to give every department its own private washroom, they did the next best thing: They installed 11 single-use, gender-neutral restrooms for all employees to use.

          The city also took the opportunity to create new positions such as a full-time grant writer, which has netted the community $3 million in grants so far, and streamline departments that were inconvenient for the public to navigate. They also have office space for positions not yet needed, but that may be required in the coming years, such as a city manager. 

          This is the first time the Paragould Police Department has been able to have all of its street crime units, as well as a state police Crimes Against Children Unit, under the same roof. The city also installed a sally port, a secured vehicle bay that allows patrol cars to enter and then closes behind them, for the safe transfer of someone in custody. There is hot and cold running water in the bay as well as a drain so officers can use the space to clean out their patrol cars should the need arise.

          Agee said that the ribbon cutting was an historic day for the city of Paragould. It was attended by a congressional delegation, a state delegation, the Arkansas Municipal League, local officials, business leaders and industrial partners.

The new building was well received by everyone who toured it, especially those who make it their home away from home.

          “When it comes to the new building, they really have a sense of ownership about it, and they should,” Agee said. “After all, they helped design it.”

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