A question about the old hospital in Alexander and a sign stirs Facebook chatter

A question about the status of the former Alexander Human Development Center (HDC), and three signs recently posted on the fence that surrounds the property, has some drivers and nearby residents chattering on Facebook. The property is located along Highway 111 in South Alexander.

Members of the Facebook Group “MySaline.com” who either were unaware of the sign, along with those who did see the sign (See Photo) started asking questions about previously discussed plans for the property.

Michael Kincaid started the conversation with, “I heard that the state hospital in Alexander getting tore down and replaced. Does anyone know? What's going in there..”

Sign on HDC fence along Hwy. 111.

Carol Crowson followed with, “It's been talked about before but full of asbestos.”

Rebecca Denise Tagaloni-Jones responded with, “Big sign on the fence outside the human development center says shopping center/community center/splash pad.”

Kincaid followed up with, “We need something for the community instead more houses. The kiddos need one for sure..”

The sign appeared this week after the city council, during the August 15 council meeting, approved adding Tract-B (See map.) of the property to the parks and recreation department. This will allow the city to both use and maintain the property and buildings.

Map showing HDC property divided

into four tracts.

Photo provided by

Katherine Michelle Cullins.

Tract-B contains a building that will be used as a community center. It has already served as a polling
place in two elections. During the council meeting Mayor Paul Mitchell noted this is the location where he wants to put in a splash pad, but that won’t happen until next year.

Developing most of the property for commercial use has always been the plan since the Arkansas Department of Human Services deeded the property to the city in 2018. However, getting to that point had to be put on-hold. One of the stipulations to the agreement was to allow Pathfinder, Inc. to remain until their lease expired. That happens on August 31 this year.

Pathfinder is a non-profit organization which helps adults who have either physical or mental special needs. The organization took over the services, which were being provided by the Department of Human Services, after the state lost a lawsuit.

With the Pathfinder lease expiring the city can begin finding a developer to turn the former HDC into a commercial district. Pathfinder was located in the southeast corner near Highway 111.

When the Arkansas Department of Human Services no longer had a use for the 65.69-acre property, and the state could not find another use for the property, it was deeded to the city in 2018. Under state law the property could not be sold to an individual. It could only be taken over by another government entity such as a municipality or county.

Once the city had legal ownership two developers showed interest in the property. One developer wanted to renovate the former state-run tuberculosis hospital with commercial space on the first floor and apartments above. The second wanted to demolish the building and replace it with housing. Both wanted to build housing units in the area west of the old hospital. The remaining portion of the property would be commercial. All that ended when the building burned on the night of March 18, 2020.

Mayor Paul Mitchell’s plan is not to “sell” the property to a developer. Instead the bait is to give the property to a developer in exchange for the developer building a two-lane road through the property that will connect Brookwood Drive to the west with Highway 111. And of course, the development must be mostly, if not all, commercial.

Mitchell wants the Brookwood extension to not only provide access to the commercial area from two ends of the city, but to be able to move some of the traffic flow off of West Azalea. The only issue now is to find a developer.