By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Quorum court justices appropriated close to $700,000 to the county general account Thursday night to cover the cost of operations for the months of October, November and December.
In a 10 to 1 vote justices agreed to the terms of the ordinance which sets aside $693,085.43 for operating the county's general account for the remainder of the year. The appropriation was necessary for the county to operate Monday morning. Sunday ends a three-month budget period which began in July. The original budget for the year 2001 was amended in June due to the financial crunch that the general account has faced this year.
The appropriation is based on money the county expects to receive during the remainder of the year.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, although the general account is suffering the county as a whole is not broke.
"We've been hearing for awhile that the county is broke. I want to make sure that people understand that the county is far from broke. What we're having problems with right now in the general account stems from the desire to carry a quarter of a million dollars over for next year. Last year we only carried $70,000 over and this year we'd like to carry $250,000. If we can do that we will be able to help the general account get through the year a little better," said Cisco.
Justices also agreed last night to continue paying the St. Francis County CARE Center and the Food Pantry for the rest of the year. Justices were originally submitted a motion which would have funded the Food Pantry, the CARE Center and the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce at half of the amount budgeted to them but from an account different from county general. Justice Jack Crumbly, made a motion which amended the original motion removing the Chamber from the motion and funding the Food Pantry and CARE Center fully for the remainder of the year.
Quorum court justice Regan Hill introduced the original plan saying, "On Tuesday night we introduced a plan which would have cut funding to three organizations. Looking back on it I don't know of anything that we've cut total funding to, and with the next three months being crucial to the CARE Center and the Food Pantry especially we shouldn't cut them. I would like to see us not taking the money out of county general but pay half of it out of another account making sure that they getting funding throughout the year."
Justice Evans Seawood responded to Hill's plan questioning whether the general account is actually broke.
"I read the paper because I wasn't here Tuesday night, and what I want to know is why can't I have a documented copy of what we have in general from the treasurer's office because I don't believe county general is broke. I won't take anyone's word for it, I want to see it in writing," said Seawood.
"You look like you're the only one that knows anything about this stuff Mr. Hill, there's 11 of us, and you act like you're the only one that knows but you seem to know more than the rest of us. It seems like you're the spokesperson for this court and that's just the way I feel about it. I don't see why we have to be picking on the Food Pantry because my read outs show that we have plenty of money," Seawood said.
Cisco responded, "I know that a lot of big figures have been thrown around, a million dollars in tax collections and $400,000 refunded from the state and all of that, but you have to keep in mind that the county only gets approximately 13 percent of that money. The rest of it goes to the schools, the colleges and several different accounts. I wish we could get all of that. You have to consider that from the taxes collected we only get a small portion of that and you have to look at that."
In other business, justices agreed to the sale of the 1995 Chevrolet Pickup for $5,962.50 to the Road Department from the Assessor's Office. The ordinance also allowed the Assessor's office to sell a Hewlett Packard computer for $300.
According to St. Francis County Assessor Craig Jones, the funding will allow his office to purchase equipment without using county general funds.
"This was a win/win situation for everyone involved. The Road Department will receive a truck which is in very good shape, and my office will receive office equipment that we desperately need. We received full support from the judge's office and the budget committee and we received advice from the State Auditor's Office. This is a fine example of what happens when county offices listen to one another, share ideas and most of all, cooperate," said Jones.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
While no outwardly visible work on the new Forrest City Junior High building is being done, a lot is going on behind the scenes, according to Pat Flanagin, fiscal officer of the district.
The bonds have been refinanced at a savings to the district, and more testing is being done on asbestos in the old building.
According to Flanagin, Dean-Witter-Morgan-Stanley bid an interest rate of 4.9901 percent. The previous bid, rejected on Sept. 6, was 5.1252 percent. He said this will save an estimated $126,000 in interest over the 25-year life of the bonds.
Flanagin called that good news.
"They are what you call bank-qualified bonds, which means more small investors will be able to get them, like local people who might want to put some of their retirement money in," said Flanagin. "It's less than 5 percent, but it's tax-free, for state income tax and also federal income tax. It's some high-grade bonds."
He said the district has also received $195,000 in earnest money from Dean-Witter.
On the subject of asbestos, Flanagin said he asked for another survey by a different expert on whether the floor tiles in the old building have too much asbestos. It could mean more expense if the tiles have to be removed before demolition.
"The first survey said the floor tiles were above 1 percent. I had another test done, which said it was one-half of one percent. And if it's less than 1 percent, you don't have to do what the first survey people said you have to do, which is to have a licensed asbestos remover come in and sack it up a piece at a time."
Flanagin said that people in construction have told him that the old, 9-inch tiles usually have asbestos in a quantity to require special removal. However, he said the industry went to 12-inch tile with an acceptable amount of asbestos after the dangers of asbestos were learned. The tiles in the old building are 12-inch.
"One reason they went to 12-inch was so people would know," said Flanagin.
He said he was getting yet another licensed survey done. The first was done by EPA out of Russellville, "Not to be confused with the Environmental Protection Agency," said Flanagin.
The most recent survey is by Jeff Harris of Emission Control in Bigelow, the results came in on Thursday. According to this survey, Flanagin said, the only place where tile has to be removed before demolition are places where tile has been damaged.
"There is probably 25-30 square feet of that," he said.
"One thing is, the first survey people are in the removal business, too," said Flanagin. "So I got one who is not in that business. And we'll keep our surveyors and our removal contractors separate so there'll be a little more objectivity."
There is one area which Flanagin said will require some asbestos removal, and that is in the basement involving insulation around boiler pipes. He said that would be the most expensive part of the asbestos removal.
Flanagin also said that about $50,000 worth of usable air conditioning equipment is being removed from the old building. "Most of these units are under five years old and can be adapted for use in the high school as needed for replacement," he said.
On another subject, Flanagin said that in spite of all the confusion of temporarily relocating the junior high students to other locations, "Everybody I've talked to has agreed, that this has been one of the smoothest school starts" in memory.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The board of the Forrest City Housing Authority on Thursday approved a marketing strategy to get more people into the FCHA housing projects.
"We really have to reduce our vacancies," said Janet Duncan, director of the authority. "We have a 12 percent vacancy."
She said HUD pushes for a 3 percent vacancy rate.
"We're carrying 55 vacancies on an average any given day," she said. "We're not gaining on that. In the last five months, it's gaining on us. We've lost 26 people in the last five months that we have not been able to replace."
Duncan said she met with the staff and they came up with a possible solution. She proposed that during October, November and December, the Housing Authority offer one month's free rent to new residents.
The residents would still be responsible for the deposit and turning on the utilities.
When the question was asked about why the Housing Authority was losing residents, board member Warren Faupel answered, "We're trying to sell Model A's to V-8 customers."
Duncan said the Housing Authority is facing stiff competition from Section 8 subsidized housing, which is not in projects.
"There is so much subsidized housing in our city, people can choose where they want to live," she said. "Section 8 is the people's choice. It is. And you can understand why. They have the same rent, and they can go out in the city, have their own yard, have some of the amenities we don't have yet, and not nearly as regulated as public housing."
She said she had been told that 30 Housing Authority residents are on a waiting list for Section 8 housing.
"So, I'm suprised it's not 400. But that's where we are," she said.
Gazzola Vaccaro said one problem is that most Section 8 homes are air condtioned, while many of the Housing Authority residences are not. He said that is being remedied as quickly as possible.
During discussion, Duncan said there is too much subsidized housing locally.
"I think HUD needs to look at the demographics," she said. "There are places in Arkansas that have a true need. They have a waiting list years long. And they should pull some of those (Section 8) vouchers and put them in those areas where the waiting list is so long."
Faupel said, "This used to be a hot spot for subsidized housing need. And it takes a while to move a mountain."
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Rice harvest is almost complete in St. Francis County, and yields are looking good, according to Extension Agent Justin Hensley.
He said the crop was probably close to 90 percent harvested.
"We really won't know until all is said and done, but most of the yields we have heard of have been pretty good," said Hensley. "We believe it will be better than the past few years."
He said the yield everyone shoots for is 200 bushels an acre. Some fields have come close to 190 bushels, although not all have.
"Last year, our county average was 129 and a half bushels per acre, and I think we'll probably beat that this year," he said.
Harvest did get started a little early this year, Hensley agreed.
"Everybody kind of thinks of the beginning of September," he said. "But there were a few people who were cutting the second week in August. Some of the weather was right to plant the rice a little early this year. And, we've got some newer, earlier-maturing varieties."
The remainder of the crop should be brought in soon, he said.
"As long as the weather stays like it is, it won't be long at all."
Sanyo Manufacturing Corp. today confirmed that it had purchased the assets of the Mulay Plastics Forrest City operation.
According to Russ Ford, vice president of operations, the sale was effective July 11.
Mulay has three other plastic molding operations, in Holly Springs, Miss., Tijuana, Mexico and Juarez, Mexico. Ford said the Sanyo purchase involved only the Forrest City operation.
The plant is located in what used to be Sanyo's microwave oven fabrication facility, Ford said. Sanyo made microwave ovens in Forrest City during the 1980s.
Mulay made injection molded plastic TV cabinets and backs.
"Consumer electronics, particularly television, is an extremely price-competitive market and we wanted to control the price of one of the major components," said Ford.
Ford said Mulay employees were given the option of working for Sanyo. He said the operation employs about 115 people.
Caldwell's Cotton Pickin' Festival will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29, at the new city park.
Friday's events will take place from 5 to 9 p.m., and will feature gospel, bluegrass and "old time music." There will be Fireman's Stew and a Moonwalk for the kids.
There will also be a Cotton Fashion King and Queen Pageant for children ages 3-12 on Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The entry fee will be $5 per person. Age divisions will be from 3 to 6 and from 7 to 12. All participants must wear fashions made of 100 percent cotton. There will be a first and second place prize awarded in each division.
On Saturday, events are set to begin at 9 a.m. with the opening of arts and crafts booths, which will remain open until 5 p.m.
At 10 a.m. there will be a dedication ceremony for the park.
There will be live gospel and bluegrass music from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. In the meantime, there will be a co-ed volleyball tournament beginning at 8:30 a.m. Games for children will be from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
A "Cotton Pickin' Contest" will be held at 11 a.m., followed by a "Pea Shelling Contest at 1 p.m. A "Womanless Beauty Contest" and a live auction will be at 6 p.m.