GRAVETTE — Members of the Greater Gravette Chamber of Commerce and their guests gathered for their regular meeting at the Chamber office Wednesday, May 18.

President Steve Harari welcomed Ted Lasher and Flip Smith as representatives of the Highlands Church in Bella Vista, who spoke to the group about their free cruise-in and car show on Sept. 24 which will benefit Bright Futures, Samaritan’s Feet, and snack packs for Gravette students. Harari also welcomed Colton Smith, representative of Blue Line Martial Arts in Rogers, who told of the desire to find a location and expand into the Gravette area. Harari acknowledged new members Ol Loggin Sawmill, Lindsay Food Court and Southern Yank Cafe and noted that the lunch meal was provided by Southern Yank Cafe.

The main focus of the meeting was a panel discussion, moderated by Harari, on the topic, “Gravette Downtown vs. 149: Competition or Opportunity?” Panel participants were Tim Craig, principal broker at Rateliff Lifestyle Properties; Kim Hendren, former Arkansas State Senator and area developer; David Keck, Gravette building inspector and code enforcement officer; and Rob Smith, policy director at the Northwest Arkansas Council.

Harari first asked David Keck how the city is preparing for new business development, and Keck replied that the city is working to establish the proper infrastructure, including acquiring sewer rights in the anticipated high growth area. He said the city is expecting mainly commercial growth in the area of the bypass and is seeking grants as a means of acquiring funding for some projects. Rob Smith commented that the city was “super smart” to annex the land in the Hiwasse area.

Kim Hendren focused on the rich history of the area and noted that “people are more important than…