The sound of banging hammers and buzzing saws can be heard in almost any area of town as the number of rooftops in town dramatically increased.
A building boom is underway.
Those rooftops add to the tax base for the school district and increase demands on the city's infrastructure. In the first quarter of 2016, there were more building permits issued than in all of 2015.
The need for more housing has been mentioned repeatedly in vision meetings attended by school, city and community leaders over the past year.
"We are based on assessed value," Pea Ridge school superintendent Rick Neal told the committee. "We're doing things right -- we're offering programs. It makes the district very marketable for families to come to Pea Ridge. When you have this type of growth, you've got to keep building, moving forward."
With the state's approval of School Choice, numerous students who do not live in the district have transferred in. School officials said there have been very few transfers out.
"We have created a school that goes well beyond the walls of the school and affects students' lives outside," said Keith Martin, assistant superintendent.
The school is a drawing card, bringing more people to the city.
State Sen. Cecile Bledsoe, of Rogers, commended Pea Ridge.
"With all the good things going for Pea Ridge," Bledsoe said, "it needs to be a destination and not just a drive through.
"The school system is excellent. It is looked to as a model for other schools, especially PRMBA (Pea Ridge Manufacturing and Business Academy)," she said. "We have to publicize all the good things going on and bring businesses to town."
In 2015, the city building official's office issued 43 building permits. In the first three months of 2016, 54 building permits were issued. Add May, and there have been 61 permits issued so far this year.
That is a dramatic increase over 2015 when there were only 43 building permits issued the entire year -- with just 18 in the same time period (January-May). The value of the construction for all of 2015 was $5,085,921 compared to the value of the first five months of 2016 of $7,357,056. That construction brought in $32,004 to the city in fees so far this year compared to $22,076.50 in all of 2015.
New homes bring more people to town, which means more students in the school. The school population is nearing what the city population was just 16 years ago.
Last school year, the student population was 1,985 and is estimated to be more than 2,075 the coming school year. In 2000, the city population was 2,346. By 2010, that number was 4,794. The estimated 2014 population was 5,117, a 6.7 percent increase.
Those rooftops will increase assessed valuation for taxes for the school district, Neal explained.
"I think the number one thing, we are a bedroom community. There are more rooftops coming into Pea Ridge than anything," Neal said. "I think we'll always be a bedroom community. We need to discern how that will drive the decision making."
As a bedroom community, many residents of Pea Ridge work elsewhere -- Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville. Although business in town has increased, it has not increased at the same rate as residential property.
Commercial and industrial property increases the tax base.
"We need to consider what to bring in," Neal said. "We have to be aware that people are wanting to come to our school district. We need to give easier access to come here and encourage them to live here rather than just bring their students here."
A sign on a real estate office in Bentonville pronounces that there are 20 new homes available in Pea Ridge.
Several large-scale developments have been approved. Construction is in process all around town.
"We're in a crossroads now," Neal said, explaining that school officials need to decide what the next school building project is as they try to stay ahead of the ever-increasing demand. "We are attractive to our local economy."
General News on 06/08/2016