City Serious About Saving Their Plant

     El Dorado is getting creative to keep the Pilgrim's Pride plant from flat-lining

     The resuscitating measure: eminent domain.

     Mayor Mike Dumas said, “[It] would give cities the opportunity to condemn a facility for economic development purposes...to save jobs."
But saving those jobs is no easy task.
That’s because there is no statute in Arkansas for eminent domain used in that particular way.


     So, State Representative John Lowery filed House Bill 2251-to amend the law.
An idea Lowery says, he's optimistic about.
He said, “We're pulling out all the stops and working in every facet of the law… to try to save this plant."

     Local and state government says they are willing to fight to the end to keep the plant operational.

Dumas said, “We are very much concerned about the more than 800 jobs that will be lost plus the probable bankruptcy of the many growers."

       Residents say they are concerned too. El Dorado resident, Shanda Kesse said, “They're not going to know if they close it, where their next meal is going to come from or how their house note is going to be paid or the car note...someone should step in."

     The government says they've been trying to step up.  But Pilgrims Pride wasn't interested in their previous offers.
"It seems like every corner we turn there's another door slammed in our face...each day as another door slams it's just another sign we're failing at saving this facility,” Dumas said.


     And the city is trying to avoid another failure.
By using eminent domain the city would offer Pilgrim's Pride the fair market price-pay them-and take over.
Dumas said, "We just need to get their attention."