Study underway on possible Cold War museum in Arkansas

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. – Officials in northeast Arkansas are studying whether to transform part of a former U.S. Air Force base into a museum focused on the Cold War.

Jonesboro television station KAIT reports that a feasibility study found that such a museum could bring 50,000 tourists to the area annually. Now, a structural design study is being conducted to determine what it would cost to convert the former Eaker Air Force Base’s alert facility in Blytheville into a museum.

Blytheville-Gosnell Regional Airport Authority Executive Director Liz Smith says many people view the idea as a “game-changer for Blytheville.”

Eaker Air Force Base, which was once called the Blytheville Air Force Base, closed in 1992.

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Information from: KAIT-TV, http://www.kait8.com/