By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Kenco Construction Co., will build the new Forrest City Junior High School, the school board decided Tuesday.
Kenco, of Forrest City, submitted the low bid, of $6.7 million.
Superintendent Lee Vent said he is pleased with the bid. He said one thing the low bid means is that none of the "alternate deductions" will have to be used. These were changes in the planning of the building to make it less expensive. At the extreme, it could also have eliminated the band and choir rooms.
"We put in the alternates in case we had to save money," said Bob Beavers, an architect on the project...We feel very fortunate. The low bidder is someone you know, that we've worked with before."
Kenco built Mustang Arena and the new Forrest City High School cafeteria.
Architect Dave Hodges thanked all the bidders. "I know all the bidders worked very hard on this, spent a lot of hours, money and time to come up with the best possible product they could," he said. "And I think we're very fortunate to have a local contractor."
On a recommendation from the architects and Vent, the board voted unanimously to accept the Kenco bid.
The project is to be completed within 540 days. A groundbreaking is set for Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 10 a.m.
On another matter, architect Bill Davis was asked to give a report on the condition of the roof at Lincoln School, which is currently serving as the middle school. He said on the northern part of the building, the roof needs replacing. He said the longer it is put off, the worse it will get.
Board member Sandra Taylor suggested a written preventive maintenance program for the future.
The school district will apply for a grant to do the roof work. The cost is estimated at around $130,000.
On another matter, the board agreed to pursue an IDEA grant. The name is an acronym for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The district will apply for $310,885.
The program is intended to enhance the education of children with disabilities, including academic challenges based on students' needs, help for children with behavioral problems, career awareness and job readiness skills, and improved technology skills.
The board also heard from the Personnel Policy Committee, which was asking that the board release funds equivalent to a $1,000 raise for every teacher in the district.
Nevada Nathaniel spoke for the committee. She said teachers need and deserve the raise. She also reminded the board of Gov. Mike Huckabee's pledge of a raise to teachers.
"We know things have happened," Nathaniel said, "especially the incident on Sept. 11. We are very sympathetic."
However, she also said that teachers have always come together when a crisis occurs.
"Teachers have always been ready to meet the facts, to come head-on to whatever the issue might be," she said, and later added, "If we are going to join together as a nation, if we're going to join together for our children, we must join together for public education," she said. "Because when all is said and done, the school employees are depended on to be there for the children."
Vent answered that the proposal would be taken under advisement. However, he said the school district is loosing a lot of money for the coming year, and that might preclude giving any teacher raises.
During the discussion, Nathaniel said the West Memphis School District has given its teachers $2,000 raises. Vent answered that West Memphis hasn't lost any students.
After the meeting, Nathaniel insisted that even with the cuts, there is still money there for the raises.
"Some people try to capitalize on that (Sept. 11) incident," she said. "But some districts are compassionate."
On another matter, Evelyn Rayford, head of the district's cafeterias, gave a report in which she recommended going back to a full a la carte setup, and also to raise breakfast and lunch prices by 25 cents. She further recommended a reduction in the work force. She said the reduction would be handled through attrition.
The board accepted her recommendations.
On another subject, the board agreed to increase the pay of teachers who perform after-school tutoring from $15 to an hour to $19.50 an hour. Also, the teachers who work for the new Homework Hotline will be paid $25 an hour. The reason for this is that they will be answering questions live on television, over Mustang 17.
On another matter, representatives of the St. Francis County Saddle Club were at the meeting, expressing an interest in purchasing property owned by the school district on Highway 1 South. This includes the old Evans School, some woods and the fairgrounds.
Vent said the matter would be taken under advisement. However, he said with the bypass going through, the land may increase dramatically in value. He said he wasn't even aware that the property was for sale. He said he would advise the board to move cautiously before selling the land.
On another matter, it was announced that Pat Flanagin will be resigning his position as administrator of foundation resources and fiscal officer, as of June 30, 2002.
Representatives of the University of Arkansas were in Forrest City Tuesday night in an attempt to recruit students to the Fayetteville campus.
Chancellor John White, Athletic Director Frank Broyles and Enrollment Dean Arlene Cash were among the University of Arkansas officials at Tuesday night's event at the Forrest City Civic Center.
Cash said one of the university's goals with the recruiting trip is to increase minority enrollment by targeting students in the Delta.
The 2000 Census showed southeast Arkansas is around 33 percent black. Blacks make up 15.7 percent of the state's population, but only 1.2 percent of the four-county region of Northwest Arkansas that includes Fayetteville. In 2000, 5 percent of the 15,347 undergraduates enrolled at the Fayetteville campus were black.
''We are looking at the fact that the area does have a high population of students of color,'' she said. ''We want the university's demographic profile to look like the state of Arkansas. Part of the chancellor's goals is to have a more diverse campus.''
For many Forrest City teens, the University of Arkansas is 4 1/2 hours and an entire world away, says high school guidance counselor Wally Rauth. Attending Arkansas State University in Jonesboro or staying in town at East Arkansas Community College are simpler options.
But Rauth hopes a push by the University of Arkansas to recruit students from his area will change perceptions of the Fayetteville campus.
''Fayetteville is a long way from this part of the state,'' the Forrest City High School counselor said. ''When Coach Broyles spoke he mentioned that when he was still coaching he would recruit a large number of his players from the Delta area and how that had changed. Chancellor White also mentioned the number of Delta students that were at the university when he was a student and how that number has dropped off recently. The university is making an effort to get our students from the Delta back up on 'the Hill' and that's a good thing because that means a major university is showing an interest in our students.''
Forrest City and other area high schools worked for weeks to promote the event and ensure students and their parents attended, Rauth said, but cool, damp weather may have kept some home.
"The only thing that I may have been a little disappointed in was the attendance for last night's event. We were expecting more parents and students but the sudden cooler weather and the threat of storms may have kept some of them home. Those that were here though received some great information and they were the ones that the university really wanted to talk to, because if they were willing to come out last night, then they really are showing an interest in UA," Rauth said.
Eddie Williams, a guidance counselor at West Memphis, said the event should open some students' minds to the possibility of going to school in Fayetteville.
''It's a good thing,'' he said.
But he said the bottom line for many students in choosing a school is scholarship opportunities. He said Arkansas State and East Arkansas Community College have traditionally been much more aggressive in recruiting students from the area.
Alfred Billingsley, principal of Central High School in the Helena-West Helena School District, agreed.
''We only have a handful of students who go to Fayetteville each year,'' he said.
He said students who choose to go to Fayetteville usually go for specific programs such as architecture or engineering that are stronger at the University of Arkansas than at other state schools.
According to Rauth the university is currently pushing its educational facilities and accomplishments in an effort to show parents that UA is not just an athletic facility.
"When many people think of UA, they only think of the football team or the great basketball teams. That's an image the university is really working to change. According to Chancellor White they have a considerable number of the top students in the country graduating each year. He even said last night that although Harvard didn't have a Rhodes Scholar from their 2000 class that the University of Arkansas did and that impressed me," Rauth said.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Counseling Services of Eastern Arkansas announced Tuesday that the groundbreaking on its new 22,000-square-foot headquarters, to be located on Arkansas Highway 1 north of Forrest City, could be held early next year.
The new facility will replace the current location at 1825 E. Broadway which has been in service for over 20 years. According to Tara Thomason, Director of Marketing and Education with Counseling Services, the new facility will offer several features to help in the care of the mentally ill.
"The area that we are going to be moving into is located between Forrest City and Caldwell on close to eight acres of land. That much land will allow us to build a facility so that we can offer areas for specific needs. There are plans for a day-treatment facility, which would be for those people that need help on a daily basis, and we will also offer a facility for out-patient services for those that only need to come in on a periodic basis, such as once a week or once a month. The facility will also house our administrative offices and it will serve as the headquarters for our six-county region. We're currently running our administration and out-patient all from the same location," Thomason said.
Counseling Services also recently opened a new 11,000-square foot facility in Helena. The office serves Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips and St. Francis counties.
According to Thomason, a coalition of Eastern Arkansas leaders are also working with Counseling Services to try to fight the growing problem of homelessness in the region. Thomason said the group, made up of area mayors, police representatives and other officials, is trying to find a way to help the homeless with mental health and substance abuse problems.
"Mental Health is looking for ways to tackle the issue of homelessness in the area by finding homes for those who are currently without shelter in our area. Many of the people who are in that position are either substance abusers or mentally ill, and they sometimes find it harder to find places to stay because of their illnesses. What we want to do is find a way to make finding a home for these people easier," Thomason said.
According to Thomason, a second meeting will be held in February to further attack the homeless issue.
Residents on Dawson Road objected Tuesday afternoon to the proposed rezoning of 1455 Dawson Road from residential to commercial during a Forrest City Planning Commission meeting.
Bennie Crawford requested that the property be rezoned to allow for the construction of a convenience store on the property.
A motion to deny the request was made because of the opposition from the residents. However, the motion failed for the lack of a second.
Even without a recommendation from the planning commission, Crawford may take his request before the city council at its meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
The commission did grant a request for a setback variance to Gwen Edwards and Gladys Hicks so they can place a manufactured home at 425 West Franklin St. The commission also recommended that the manufactured home face Beech Street, have a five-foot setback on the east side of the structure and a 10-foot setback on the south side. Also Edwards and Hicks will be required to follow all city codes regarding manufactured homes.
A motion was made to grant a condition use permit to Devazier Enterprises for a manufactured home to be used as an office building, sales lot and for an auction. The structure will be placed at 2333 N. Washington.
The commission granted approval based on contingencies that the mobile home not be lived in, must be wired in conduit, must have a front porch attached to the front of the manufactured home and follow all city requirements regarding manufactured homes.
Devazier Enterprises also received a variance from having to pave the parking and storage area.