By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Heavy rainfall throughout Eastern Arkansas is causing numerous problems on county roads and for school districts.
County residents will get a chance early this week to dig out from under all of the mud before another round of rainfall is predicted for the weekend.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco said this past weekend's rain may have caused extensive damage to several county roads. Road crews were out this morning checking drains and pipes along the roadways and clearing them of debris where necessary. According to Cisco, water from ditches, fields and creeks have covered portions of several county roads.
"We've got water everywhere. Many of our main creeks that we use to route the water have flooded from the amount of water that is coming out of the fields and ditches and some of the smaller creeks. The main problem that we're seeing now is coming from the water just not flowing out fast enough. That's why we have crews out checking all of the piping to get as much of the debris and limbs out as they can," Cisco said.
Beaver dams have also been causing problems with flooding for many area creeks, according to Cisco.
"The beaver dams are something that we're always fighting. They dam up an area, and that really keeps the water in at a lot of places. Debris from those things also clog up the pipes, and that causes us a whole other set of problems," Cisco said.
Flooded roads are causing problems for area school districts also. According to Melvin Taylor, transportation manager with the Forrest City School District, one bus driver was unable to pick up two students this morning due to road conditions on County Road 359. Taylor said that school district drivers have the authority to determine whether a road is too hazardous to drive on.
"There are times when the water may be up on the wheels of the bus. When drivers get in those situations then they have to be more concerned with the safety of the children that they have on the bus. If a driver comes to a spot where the bridge is covered by water, he has no way of knowing if that bridge is even there. So, they have been instructed not to attempt to drive over it. The safety of the children is our primary concern," Taylor said.
Palestine-Wheatley schools also had problems with rain this morning, but according to PWSD Superintendent Jimmy Allen, there were no major problems.
"We've got about nine students who live just north of Palestine that we've had some problems getting to because of water, but this morning the driver went on through it and got to them. We've had a few parents call and say they weren't sending their kids, but nothing that we can't handle," Allen said.
Taylor also said that recent rains have caused drivers to use detours to get to homes across the county due to washed out roads.
In the agriculture community, county wheat farmers are facing challenges in some areas due to the rain. According to County Extension Agent Justin Hensley, farmers have seen, and will continue to see, wheat crops drown due to the standing water in many area fields.
Inside the city, authorities say their biggest fight has been with clogged drains and manholes. Clovis Macon with the Forrest City City Shop said this morning that leaves and other debris have caused the only problems within the city because of the recent rains.
"We've got crews out constantly clearing the drains and grates and some of the manholes. That is our primary problem so we try to stay on top of that and keep everything clear," Macon said.
According to Macon, the Sunrise area received some minor flooding two weeks ago but everything has been fine with this bout of rain.
The Hughes Public School District has received an E-Rate grant to connect its students to the Information Superhighway.
Rep. Marion Berry recently announced the school received a grant for $26,161.20 to help with the project.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Hughes," Berry said. "With our nation's growing dependence on computers, we must be sure that no student is left behind in the information age. Six out of 10 jobs in the next millennium will rely on high-technology skills. This E-Rate grant will help us prepare our children for the competitive global economy of the next century and give them the tools they need to learn.
"Many schools in the First Congressional District already have benefited from the E-Rate program, and we must continue to give our schools access to vital technology," Berry added.
The E-Rate program provides discounts of between 20 and 90 percent to schools and libraries -- depending on their resources and needs -- for the cost of education technology. The discounts cover the cost of telecommunications, Internet access, and internal connections needed to bring information directly into classrooms. Overall, the program will provide $1.9 billion in discounts to thousands of schools, with the costs being covered by the Universal Service Fund.
This is the 10th wave of funding commitments this year, according to Berry.
Over the next several weeks, the Schools and Libraries Corporation will send out additional waves of discount notifications to schools and libraries, based on the priorities established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in June of 1998.
A full schedule of meetings is on tap this week throughout St. Francis County.
The Palestine-Wheatley School Board is scheduled to meet tonight. The board will hold its annual Christmas meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Kelley's restaurant in Wynne.
On Tuesday, the Forrest City Water Commission is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. at the water department.
The St. Francis County Museum board is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the museum.
Officials with the St. Francis County Extension Service will review accomplishments during the year during a meeting set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the quorum court meeting room at the courthouse. Refreshments will be served.
Also on Tuesday, the Madison City Council will hold a budget meeting at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.
The Forrest City City Council will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at city hall.
Councilmen will hear from several individuals regarding an ordinance to rezone a portion off Dawson Road from residential to commercial.
Jim Beazley with the Forrest City Water Department will discuss a resolution with councilmen allowing for the extension of sewer services to three areas west of Forrest City.
Councilmen will also consider an ordinance to rotate the use of wrecker service in Forrest City.
The St. Francis County Quorum Court will also meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will be held in the quorum court meeting room at the courthouse.