After almost four months of delay, the Crawford County Levee Board on Wednesday (Jan. 28), signed a “Letter of No Objection” to a slackwater harbor that is to be built in Van Buren along the Arkansas River. A letter signed by Rick Wilkins, chair of the Crawford County Levee Board, was provided to Jaysson Funkhouser, a program manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “The Crawford County Levee Board has reviewed the 90% design plans for the River Valley Slackwater Harbor Project,” Wilkins noted. Ashley Garris, WAPDD assistant executive director, said the levee board letter was initially sought in October 2025, and was a necessary key process in obtaining clearance to begin construction. Marty Shell, owner of Five Rivers Distribution, told Talk Business & Politics that the levee board delay could delay the entire project for a year.