Copperweld requests East Park Drive be renamed as firm cites major local investment

Representatives for Copperweld described a request to rename East Park Drive — proposing Copperwell Road or Copperwell Drive — to recognize the company’s long presence and recent investments in Fayetteville. The request was introduced by Public Works Director Jack Williams and discussed at length with board members before being placed on the agenda for the board’s next meeting.

The plant manager for Copperweld, speaking at the meeting, said the company “has probably invested maybe about $30,000,000 into our East Park … building” and said recent ownership had approved about $50,000,000 in investment in another building that the speaker said should provide “about another 200 to 250 jobs for the city of Fayetteville.” Jack Williams noted the company has been in the community for more than five decades.

Several aldermen said the city lacks a consistent naming/renaming policy and urged staff to draft criteria so future requests can be evaluated consistently. One member pointed to prior examples of local streets named for major employers and urged the board to support the request while the policy is developed. The mayor moved the item to be placed on the Tuesday agenda for formal consideration and vote.

Board members also confirmed staff had contacted the other business located on the street; that owner said he was neutral to the change. The request will return to the board on Tuesday with the formal agenda placement and any supporting documentation.

What’s next: The board moved the rename request to the next regular meeting for a formal vote and requested staff draft naming/renaming criteria to guide future requests.