De QUEEN, Ark. - Standing in a small clearing bordered by pine trees, Sevier County Medical Board Chairman Dr. Steve Cole reflected Friday on the events of the past two years in Sevier County.
"We lost our hospital and we went through that together. Then just a year ago, 84% of our residents voted 'Yes' to a new hospital. Now we are at this point: The groundbreaking of a 14-bed medical facility for residents of Sevier County and the surrounding area," Cole said.
County officials gathered in a clearing Friday morning just north of where the new Sevier County Medical Center will stand to officially break ground on the structure.
Cole said he believes Sevier County residents are showing the rest of the state "some cool things are going on in Sevier County."
The hospital, whose funding was approved by Sevier County voters through a 1% sales tax passed in October 2019, will be located on the east side of U.S. Highway 71, a few miles north of De Queen.
The site is about 18 acres, and plans are also being made to cut trees on the land and design a visually appealing campus for the hospital.
The hospital is expected to be about 42,000 square feet and includes an outpatient rehab facility. It should employ about 105 people.
The county's former hospital closed in 2019 after a series of financial problems.
"We know what has happened in the past and we can quit talking about that. We can start talking about the future," Cole said.
Sevier County Judge Greg Ray thanked the county's residents for voter turnout.
"The citizens didn't just show up. They showed out," he said.
Ray thanked the Sevier County Quorum Court for their efforts and acknowledged Justice of the Peace Charles Keels who died in September.
"He was a big advocate for a new hospital," Ray said.
Ray also thanked members of the hospital's board of governors for their work.
"This board gets paid zero dollars and they met for three hours yesterday. That shows dedication," Ray said.
Clint O'Neal, executive vice president for the Arkansas Economic Development Council, also spoke.
"2020 has been a challenging year but the story of COVID-19 in Arkansas is going to be a story of people coming together," he said.