By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the St. Francis County Quorum Court's personnel committee allowed former county employee Dana Odom to plead his case for reinstatement to the county road department during a hearing Wednesday afternoon.
According to county road department supervisor Sonny Hamilton, Odom was recently terminated for not wanting to follow assignments and an unwillingness to work as a team member with the other road department employees.
"This wasn't something that just happened. It's been building up for quite a while. Back at the beginning of the year, I gave Mr. Odom his week of paid vacation for the year and then told him to take an additional week unpaid to consider if he wanted to be part of this organization. He took the time, and when he came back he said that he did want to be a part of the department and would do better," said Hamilton.
Hamilton referred to a recent incident during construction of a bridge on a county road that lead to Odom's immediate dismissal.
"We were all working on a bridge that led into a community that only had one way in, and we had to have the bridge in that day. The supervisor on site had to call me because he had three men that wouldn't work. I came out, and when I got to the site I told them to go to the shop. When we got to the shop, I told Mr. Odom that he could go home," said Hamilton.
Hamilton also answered questions regarding other incidents about the alleged use of abusive language regarding Odom, and why he was given the time off earlier this year.
According to Odom, a 10-year employee with the county, his dismissal was due to the fact that Hamilton simply didn't like him.
"I don't know exactly why Mr. Sonny let me go other than the fact that he didn't like me. When he got there that day I was standing there with a crowbar in my hand and he told me to drop the bar and come over to him, and when I did, he told me to go to the house," said Odom.
The other two employees working on the bridge were sent home for the remainder of the day. Odom was fired, according to Hamilton, because he had already received a warning and the other two had not.
Following an executive session, committee members voted unanimously that Odom's termination was proper.
In other business, St. Francis County Assessor Craig Jones spoke to committee members regarding the possible return of a recently laid-off employee in the assessor's office.
Mustang 17 television expanded its service area this week to include Caldwell, Colt, Barrow Hill Road and Newcastle Road, according to Steve Murray, broadcasting teacher at Forrest City High School.
Programming from the Forrest City School District cable television station began appearing on channel 45 on Curtis Cable TV, which services the areas mentioned.
"We're glad that we are finally able to provide our service to the rest of the school district," Murray said. "The only areas we do not service in the district now are locations where cable is not available."
Mustang 17 is broadcast on channel 17 by East Arkansas Video, which primarily serves Forrest City. It is also televised on Classic Cable which serves Madison, Widener, Hughes and Horseshoe Lake on channel 44. Assistance to expand the service area to Curtis Cable was provided through a grant from the Forrest City Education Foundation.
"We're grateful to the education foundation for its support," Murray said. "Also helping us were the good people from Curtis Cable and Eastern Arkansas Communications."
Mustang 17 is produced by broadcasting students at Forrest City High School. Operations are supported by the school district, a corporate sponsorship from Pepsi-Cola Bottling, Inc. and various grants. Most of the programming for Mustang 17 is generated by activities in the school district, although some programs focus on community events as well.
"We combine our video on a two-hour tape and run it until we have another tape completed," Murray said. "People seem to like it that way because they aren't locked into one particular time they have to watch events that involve their community."
Over the past four years, the department has taken several steps in developing its studio equipment. "The grants and sponsorship from Pepsi have enabled us to convert to a digital format," said Murray. "This will lead us into our next phase, providing we can get funding," he added.
Murray said the number of new programs are being planned for next year. "Students in our broadcasting department will learn to produce network-type programs with the latest technology," he said. "The result will be an educational experience that will help them immediately and in the future."
Projects valued at a total of $1,320,412 received building permits in Forrest City during April, bringing the year-to-date total to just over $2.1 million.
The largest single project is at a new building at the First United Methodist Church at 101 S. Izard, costing $626,000.
The second largest project is at the St. Francis County Courthouse at 313 South Izard where work to repair fire damage has a price tag of $450,000.
Chris Quinn is also building two commercial structures on North Washington, valued at $62,500 each.
The remainder of the permits are for residential projects, including four additions, a deck, a roof, a pool, four remodelings, a fence and a carport.
Three juveniles were arrested Wednesday in connection with a break-in at the new restroom facilities at Stuart Springs Park.
According to the police report, Jimmy King reported he was working at the restrooms and left at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 1. He returned early on Wednesday, May 2, to find the door kicked open. There was damage to a water fountain and some tools were missing.
Three 16-year-old juveniles, two from Forrest City and one from Colt, were apprehended at the intersection of Arkansas and Newcastle roads. According to the report, one of the juveniles gave a statement about the incident. Another led officers into the woods to a creek, where two cordless drills and a hammer were found. The drills were damaged beyond repair.
All three were arrested for breaking and entering and theft of property over $500. The three were taken to the police station and processed, then released to their parents. They have a court day Friday, in front of Judge Steve Routon.
The Colt City Council is scheduled to meet at 7 tonight at city hall. The meeting is open to the public.