By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Forrest City City Council members agreed Tuesday night to overturn a veto by Mayor Larry Bryant regarding the city's garbage pickup.
By a 6-1 vote Tuesday, council members voted to overturn the veto regarding previous action taken by the council which would have allowed King Disposal to charge the city for individual carts in apartment complexes which have bins. Earlier this month council members tabled the action to wait for a full council to be present before discussing the veto. Alderman Roy Hancock cast the only dissenting vote, and councilman Cecil Twillie did not vote due to a conflict of interest.
In other business, a bid was opened for the concession stands at the Forrest City Municipal Complex and a bid on asphalt for the year for the city.
Christine Duckworth, was the lone bidder for the concession stands at both the old and new ball complexes. Duckworth bid $1,500 for the old complex and $1,500 for the new complex. According to Bryant the bid was close to $3,000 lower than the accepted bid for the same job last year. The council agreed to turn the bid over to Recreation Director Kenneth Taylor for approval and agreed to vote on it at the next council meeting.
The only bid opened for asphalt came from M&T Paving. The bid was for $38 per ton ACHM type 2 surface course and $42 per ton to pave the ACHM type 2 surface course. There were also bids of $1.40 per ton for primer coat and $1.25 per ton for tack coat. The bids were turned over to the street department for review.
Council members also agreed last night to form a facilities board which will help with bond issues that are needed for the construction of a new mental health facility north of Forrest City. A group representing Counseling Services of Eastern Arkansas was on hand to discuss with council members the new 28,000 square foot facility. According to Steve Johnson with Counseling Services, the need for the new facility stems from a need to expand services in this area.
"We're here asking for the city's help and support in the construction of our new facility. We've simply outgrown our existing building. This facility will be 28,000 square feet on seven acres just north of Forrest City, and we're going to be bringing the sewer lines out to the facility . This will be done at no cost to the city," Johnson said.
According to Gordon Wilburn, a Little Rock bond attorney representing Counseling Services, the city will bear no responsibility for the bonds, and the primary need for the bonds will be in the tax exempt interest earned by the bonds. Wilburn also told aldermen that local lenders would be the first approached regarding the bonds.
An effort by the city to purchase an additional 26.5 acres of land near the Forrest City Municipal Complex will be put off, as council members agreed to form a committee. Committee members include A.L. "Sonny" Harris, Chris Oswalt, Roy Hancock and Taylor. The group will study the need for additional acreage and the amount of land actually available and needed. Bryant told council members that the land in question, property just north of the complex and west towards the railroad track, is available and needed for added expansion at the complex.
"Anyone who goes out there knows that we need additional parking, and that is what Kenny is trying to get. With this property, we could extend our parking area and also add a flag football and soccer field so that our current fields wouldn't have to do double duty," Bryant said.
Twillie called for the additional study of the project. "I think we need to study this before we just buy this 26 acres because what if we actually have a need for more land. We don't know what the people want out there and that's something else that we need to consider. In the first 12 years of the complex, we've seen this much growth, and I think that before we purchase more land we have to see if that 26 acres will be enough or if more is needed."
Bryant also announced that May 4 has been named as Forrest City Clean-up Day by the Beautification Committee.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The top 10 percent of seniors from St. Francis County high schools were honored Tuesday at the 19th annual Kiwanis Academic Achievement Banquet.
Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Forrest City, the banquet was held at the Forrest City Civic Center, and was attended by the students and their parents.
Bill Baxter, who acted as master of ceremonies, told the crowd that the Academic Achievement Banquet was the brainchild of former member Joe Gattinger.
"Very few things last for 19 years," said Baxter. "This has lasted a long time, because we like to honor people who have achieved academically."
All the honorees were introduced, and Nichole Lieblong gave the student response.
Baxter introduced the speaker, Shannon D. Nelson, who himself is a former top 10 honoree. Nelson is the youngest of nine children, all of whom have gone to college, said Baxter.
"That says an awful lot about (parents) J.B. and Irma Nelson," said Baxter.
Nelson was a 1997 FCHS graduate, ranked third in his class. He has served on the Arkansas Youth Commission. He has received numerous honors at high school and at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He is currently attending the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and is vice president of the freshman medical class.
Nelson gave tribute to his parents. "They did not have the chance to go to college. But they did provide the opportunity for each of my brothers and sisters to attend colleges. So I thank them very much for that."
He attributed his success to family values. "The power of family as a social unit provides love, moral support and a model for character and discipline."
Nelson challenged the student, saying that although they have achieved a lot, they cannot rest on their laurels.
"You will be facing great challenges," he said. He added that there were five virtues he felt are needed -- confidence, discipline, knowledge, networking and spirituality.
He said they will need confidence. "If you say you cannot do something, yo have already failed in your own mind," he said. "Never doubt what you can do."
He said maturity would also be needed.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
After four months, some signs of a financial recovery for the county's general account can be seen, but quorum court members remained cautious Tuesday, again passing a two-month budget to allow for tighter management of funds.
Some relief for the ailing fund may come as early as next month as justices expect a payment from the half-cent sales tax reimbursement for the $300 tax credit for homeowners along with a June payment from the Arkansas Department of Corrections for a portion of what is owed to the county for housing state inmates.
According to St. Francis County Treasurer Ann Harbin, although some relief will come from the reimbursement, only $14,000 to $15,000 of the expected funding will benefit the general account. Harbin also told justices that in March, the county was able to carry over $151,135.06 for the month of April.
Questions were raised on what transfers would continue to be made into the general account to help shore it up. From January through April, transfers have come from a county trust fund account, an adjusted tax settlement from the road department, the sheriff's department radio fund and from Act 768 funding. According to Harbin, the funding from the trust account would be depleted at the end of April, and justices agreed to stop the transfer from Act 768 funding.
In other business, justices agreed to the budget for the upcoming May 21, primary election. The budget for the election was amended from the $16,080.47 up to $16,580.47 so that an election coordinator could be hired. According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, the coordinator's position was suggested by the state.
"This is a position that was recommended, and we're going to use it during the election because all of our election commissioners have full-time jobs and can't put as much effort into the election as they would like. Each commissioner did pitch in and give up their $250 salary that was budgeted to help pay for the position. The county only has to pay the $500 that we're adding," Cisco said.
Next month's quorum court meeting was pushed back to Thursday, May 23, at 6 p.m. due to the primary election on May 21.