By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
With many of the downtown streets closing tonight for the annual Christmas parade, motorists not attending the festivities will have to find another route to the north end of Forrest City.
According to Forrest City Chief of Police Clarence McNeary, those drivers not attending the parade will find it easier to navigate through Forrest City, if they take either Forrest Street or Dawson Road to get around the parade. According to McNeary, due to traffic and safety, most of the downtown streets will be closed to through traffic, once the crowds begin to line up.
"For safety's sake, we're going to close much of Division Street, once people start to gather, and it will be closed for close to an hour if not longer. It would be best, if you're trying to get to the north end of town, if drivers would simply take Forrest Street or Dawson Road and some of the other roads to get around the route," McNeary said.
The route, which will see changes from last year, will begin on Victoria Street in the parking lot of Forrest City High School, travel east to Division Street, turning onto Arkansas Street before it begins the major parade route along Washington. Participants will then turn west on Hill Street before turning again on Rosser, with the parade ending in the parking lot of Union Planters Bank. Once again, participants in the parade will not be allowed to throw candy or treats from floats or vehicles. According to Mary Beth Doler, with the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce, the move is for a safer parade.
McNeary praised citizens for the orderly crowds that are the norm for the event. "We've always had fantastic crowds, and they've always been orderly and worked with our officers to make the parade a success, and we expect that again this year," McNeary said.
According to McNeary, officers will also be assisting with traffic control following the festivities to insure a safe parade for all. With temperatures expected to be close to 30 degrees, McNeary also cautioned that children needed to be dressed to protect themselves from the cold weather.
"We don't want any of the kiddies getting sick, so I would like to caution the parents to make sure that they bundle them up so that everyone can enjoy the parade without having to deal with illness down the road," he said.
The parade will begin at 7 p.m.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Four incumbents are being replaced on the Forrest City City Council next year.
Roy Hancock was the only councilman to win re-election to his seat.
Four newcomers will assume their positions on the city council with the dawning of the new year. Louise Fields and Brent Ponder defeated incumbents to win their positions.
Steve Hollowell and Roger Breeding won their races to replace two councilmen who are retiring from service.
The other councilmen, John Gadberry, Cecil Twillie and Mary Jeffers were unopposed in the general election.
As a preview to next year's city business, the Times-Herald offers this look at the new faces, and one old one, that were elected in November.
Roy Hancock was the only sitting alderman to be challenged and keep his position, defeating challenger Henry Peacock.
He will be serving his fourth term as alderman from Ward 1, Position 1.
He is the son of Calvin and Lottie Mae Hancock. He works with Forrest City Community Voices Center and lives at 109 E. Davis.
Hancock ran on his record, and also said he had spent most of his adult life serving the public. He said his experience gives him insight into the workings of the city.
Louise Fields won her position by challenging longtime incumbent Glenn Ford in Ward 2, Position 2.
Fields, an employee of Sanyo Manufac-turing for 34 years, lives at 622 Mann Street. She is a graduate of East Arkansas Com-munity College, where she received an Associate of Arts degree in business administration.
She serves as financial secretary/treasurer of Local 1106 Chapter of the IUE/CWA union, and is the mother of four children, Charlotte Fields-Wright, Ricky Brandon, Felicia Fields and Eric Brandon.
Steve Hollowell beat another newcomer, Danny Capps, for the Ward 3, Position 1 seat.
The seat became vacant when longtime alderman J.T. Higgins retired.
Hollowell is the husband of Eva Hollowell and works with Gilmer and Mosley Realty. He is the father of one, Adam.
He is a Forrest City High school graduate and attended Arkansas State University.
During the campaign, Hollowell said he wants to see the community improve.
Brent Ponder defeated another longtime incumbent, A.L. "Sonny" Harris, for the Ward 3, Position 2 seat.
Ponder is a 1995 graduate of Forrest City High School and a 1997 graduate of East Arkansas Commu-nity College. He continued his education at Arkansas State University, earning a bachelor's degree in business management with an emphasis on human resources. He is the son of Byron and Joan Ponder.
During the campaign, he listed economic development as a key issue facing Forrest City.
Roger Breeding, who previously has served on the city council, defeated Frank Shaw in Ward 4, Position 1. They were running to replace Chris Oswalt, who left the position to run for mayor.
Breeding is a graduate of Palestine High School and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is a local businessman and is married to Pamela McGuire Breeding. They have two children, Paige Breeding Hopkins and Chase Breeding.
Forrest City issued building permits for projects valued at a total of $721,100 during November, according to figures from city hall.
The largest commercial permit went to Colvin's Country Carpets, which is constructing a new building, valued at $175,000, on North Washington.
According to Ashley Colvin, the building will be located just past Faith Lutheran Church, on the left. The business is presently located at 2522 E. Broadway.
Colvin said the 8,500-square-foot building is a necessity.
"We've just kind of outgrown this building," he said. "And we would like to have a little more stock out there."
Dragon China, a restaurant, has a permit for $50,000 worth of remodeling at Grace Plaza at 201 Deaderick. Jackson's Used Cars has a permit for a new building, valued at $32,000.
In addition, Larry Bryant received a permit for a storage building, valued at $2,500, at Hill and Grant streets. Bryant said the 11-unit storage facility is the first of several developments hoped for that block, including office space, a rental area, a restaurant and maybe even an ice cream parlor.
The rest of the permits issued were for private homes. These included two new houses, one siding project, a storage building and one burnout.
The total value of building permits for the year through November is $7,888,481. That puts the city ahead of the pace set last year so far, by nearly $3 million. Through the first 11 months of 2001, the total value of projects for which permits were issued totaled $4,191,622.
However, it remains to be seen whether the last month of 2002 will keep pace with last year. In December of 2001, a $6 million permit for a new junior high school building helped put the total for that year at over $10 million.
A Madison man attempting to cross a busy intersection Thursday afternoon was injured when he was struck by a vehicle.
Tores J. Gatewood, 21, told police he did not see a 1991 Cadillac driven by Florence T. Cole, 74, 2398 Hwy. 334, Forrest City, as he tried to cross Highway 1 about 3:45 p.m.
Cole reported she was traveling west on Highway 70, making a left turn to travel south on Washington when she heard a "thump," and when she turned around, saw Gatewood lying in the road.
According to Gatewood, the car struck his arm, knocking it toward his head, causing him to hit himself in the head and mouth. He also said he hit his head on a door of the car.
Gatewood was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where he was treated and released.
No citations were issued, according to the accident report.