By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Another step on a long road was taken this morning, when groundbreaking was held for the new Forrest City Junior High School on Division Street.
"It's been a long time coming," said Superintendent Lee Vent, speaking informally before the ceremony. "But we're very proud the day is here, and we're able to celebrate this and get the building project officially kicked off.
It has been a long, tedious journey," Vent continued, "but we finally reached our destination. Now all we have to do is sit back and watch it go up, and then one day we'll be back to dedicate it."
During the ceremony, Tekera Holmes, who will be a student in the new building, gave a special welcome.
Dr. Wayne Jones, president of the school board, said, "In 1942, I started seventh grade right over there (in the old building, which has now been demolished). I'm proud for all of our community today, because we know that very soon there will be a brand new junior high here for our students...I'm thankful today that we can look forward to a new building...and I praise the Lord for his guidance, that we'll have a building here that will be an honor to Him."
Vent also made some prepared remarks.
"Our new building program is part of a continuing effort in trying to improve the physical plant of the Forrest City School District," he said. "A new junior high will add about $7.3 million to that value. Our plant is continuously improving. We have a long ways to go. Yet, since we began our building program in 1998 we have increased the value of your property, as patrons of the Forrest City School District, from $32 million to the current $38 million, plus $9 million in contents.
"We're very proud of this day," Vent continued. "It's been a long row to hoe. And a lot of us had doubts. But I knew one day we would meet this milestone."
Vent reminded everyone that it took five tries to get a millage passed to build the junior high. The Forrest City High School Band also performed.
Several special guests also spoke. These included Tom Machen, president of the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce, who was speaking for state Rep. Danny Ferguson, who had to be out of town on legislative business.
Also speaking were state Sen. Alvin Simes and Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant. The ceremony was also attended by several Chamber of Commerce "Greencoats."
A benediction was offered at the end of the ceremonies by junior high student Steven Holmes.
Bids on the junior high were opened Nov. 20, and the winning bid was accepted on Nov. 27.
Dave Hodges and Bob Beavers are serving as architects for the project.
Kenco Construction Co. will build the new high school, having submitted the low bid of $6.7 million. The bid was low enough that it was not necessary to invoke any of the "alternate deductions" and build everything to the original plans and specifications. The alternate deductions had been included in case money had to be saved.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A Madison City Councilman was escorted from Monday night's council meeting by a city police officer.
Councilman Oscar Brown was escorted from council chambers following a discussion with Mayor James Brooks over street work which was recently completed in the city. According to Brown, previous discussions had included Gore Drive, the street Brown lives on, as part of the planned area where work was to be done.
"Well, what about my street, Mayor? We've amended the budget to include my street down there with the potholes. We've still got potholes big time, and the work wasn't done. I have questions because I'm still driving through mud and potholes, and I've got all of these people with potholes in front of their houses coming to me. Wasn't Gore Drive on that list Mayor?" Brown asked.
Brooks asked that Brown be escorted from council chambers by police after Brown continued to argue his point. According to Brooks, Brown was disturbing the peace.
"We're going to conduct this meeting in a respectful way, and you are disturbing this meeting. Robert's Rules of Order state that even a council member can be escorted from a meeting if he is disturbing a meeting so how does this council feel about that?" Brooks asked.
Brooks asked an officer at the meeting to escort Brown from the building, and Brown left without any further problems.
Council members amended the 2000 budget to make payments for the city's contract with M&T Paving, and payments for the construction of a new fire bay at City Hall.
Council members reviewed bids from two companies on the construction of a 40-by-20-by-14-foot metal and block fire bay for the storage of Madison's new fire truck. Dale Britt, submitted a bid of $36,000. The second bid on the project was from Johnson Construction of Madison for $33,850. Council members agreed to accept the bid from Johnson Construction.
According to Brooks, he submitted the bid request on the bay project for publication to the Times-Herald without the approval of the council. Brooks told council members that he made the decision based on prior conversations with council members regarding the need of the additional bay for the storage of the new fire truck.
"I took the liberty of placing these bids in the paper. We had talked about this, but the council never did say for me to do it. I just took the liberty of doing it. We now have two bids so if you all are in agreement to do this let me know. If not, we can discuss it further. This was something that needed to be done and something that we had talked about," Brooks said.
In other business, council members also discussed the formation of wards in Madison. Alderman Annie Winfrey, asked if council members could hear more information on the proposed wards before making a decision.
"I don't think that we've been given enough information on how this is going to be set up. We've had one person come in and talk to us, but he hasn't been back, and we haven't had any meetings on how we're going to set this up. We need to have him back in and we need to have our attorney here with us to make sure that we're doing this correctly. And that's just my opinion," Winfrey said.
According to Brooks, the proposed ward breakdown would place 342 residents in Ward 1, which would cover the area west of U.S. Highway 50 and north of Arkansas Highway 50.
Ward 2, which would have 317 residents, would be the area east of Hwy. 50 and 5th Street over to Jackson Street and a portion of 6th Street in Madison.
Ward 3, which would hold the remaining 328 Madison residents, is the area south of Hwy. 70 and west of Hwy. 50 and 5th Street to the railroad tracks. Each ward would have to be within 10 percent of the population of the other wards with two council positions per ward.
Council members agreed to accept the proposal, and Brooks agreed to continue to process of establishing the wards.
St. Francis County investigators are awaiting autopsy results on the bodies of three men found dead of multiple gunshot wounds Friday night at a home in Crow Creek.
Jim Clark, executive director of the State Crime Lab, said the results were expected today. He said medical examiners were slowed because of the nature of the wounds.
''Multiple gunshot wounds take more time than a single gunshot wound,'' he said.
The dead men are identified as Dewayne Stewart, 27, and brothers Carl Boyd, 21, and Dylan Boyd, 31.
Authorities believe the three were slain about midday Friday at the residence near Madison that Dylan Boyd shared with his girlfriend. The bodies were discovered when the girlfriend returned to the house after work just before 6 p.m., police said.
Sheriff's Department Chief Investigator Glenn Ramsey said it is believed the victims were killed between 10:30 a.m. and noon.
Ramsey said neighbors have been interviewed about activity at the house. ''So far, we've not found any neighbors who've said they heard or saw anything,'' he said.
St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman said, ''The way the rooms were all a mess and dresser drawers torn out we believe the perpetrators were looking for something.''
The girlfriend, Katina Stewart, told police that nothing was missing from the residence.
Parkman said the men were shot with two semiautomatic handguns -- a 9mm and 25-caliber -- which leads police to believe that there are at least two killers.
Carl Boyd was arrested Sept. 18, 2000, on charges of attempted murder and engaging in a violent criminal group act, but both charges were dropped Sept. 21.
Court records indicate that Carl Boyd also was arrested June 4, 2001, on a charge of second-degree terroristic threatening for telling Forrest City police officer Travis Hill that if Boyd saw the officer in his neighborhood out of uniform and without his badge, the officer ''wouldn't last long.''
Carl Boyd was to appear in court in February on the terroristic threatening charge.
A fundraiser to assist the families of two fallen employees at the Federal Correctional Institution in Forrest City is underway.
The fundraiser will assist the families of James Vincent and Ignacio (Nash) Cano. Both were husbands and fathers.
Smoked turkey breasts and smoked Boston butts will be sold, each for $20, and may be picked up at the Institutional Training Center on Dec. 21. Also, any additional donations will be appreciated.
The fundraiser is being sponsored by the American Federation of government Employees, Council of Prison Locals, Local 0922 and the Employees Club.
Anyone wishing to place an order or make a donation may contact B.J. May, chief steward, at 870-238-6559 or Shon Foreman, second vice president, at 633-7242.