By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
With the threat of severe winter weather headed into Eastern Arkansas tonight, many of the area agencies that deal with roads and policing the roadways are preparing for the worst.
Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant said both the Forrest City Police Department and the Forrest City Street Department have been put on standby for any severe weather. Bryant said that road crews have already been notified that late night calls may come in that would send them into action.
"We've notified the police department that at the first signs of accumulation they are to call in and notify the road department so that we can get crews out. That doesn't matter if it's 1 a.m. or 6 a.m. We've got graders and a snow blade to handle snow, but if we get ice, then we have to get the sand spreader out. We're not really set up for a lot of this type of weather so we will try to take care of the main roads and the intersections so that people can get out tomorrow morning to get to work," Bryant said.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco also said that county road crews are getting their road graders ready for tonight's possible weather.
Crews at the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department are also gearing up for the worst, and according to Ray Woodruff with the AHTD, work crews have been split into day and night shifts in anticipation of bad weather.
"There's not much we can do until this stuff gets here, if it gets here. We're doing the things that we always do such as split our shifts and get all of the trucks ready to go. We have our sand loaded and the trucks inspected last year to prepare for this so now it's basically just a waiting game," Woodruff said.
According to Bryant, the Forrest City Road Department also made preparations last year for snow and ice.
"Back in October we decided to go ahead and get the sand trucks loaded and everything inspected, because it's always better to be prepared in advance than to try to get everything together at the last minute," he said.
For drivers, Arkansas State Police Captain Steve Gray said that the best thing most people could do is stay in unless it's absolutely necessary to travel.
"We always tell people during this type of weather that the best thing to do is just stay home, but if you do have to go out, drivers need to make sure that they keep plenty of distance between themselves and the vehicle in front of them and they also need to take it slow and steady," Gray said.
Forecasters have posted a winter storm watch for a large portion of Arkansas as snow had begun drifting into Arkansas from the west at press time. Light snow had accumulated in western Arkansas by late morning, and is expected to spread over the southern two-thirds of the state by Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service said two to four inches of snow could fall by Wednesday morning, and because of such, has issued a snow advisory for portions of the state for Tuesday. Forecasters say Arkansans should prepare for a winter storm Tuesday night and Wednesday. Snow was accumulating on bridges and overpasses this morning in far western Arkansas. In central and eastern parts of Arkansas, the precipitation could start as rain or sleet and then switch to light snow. Hazardous driving conditions could develop overnight, the National Weather Service said.
Many students and parents will be anxiously waiting to see what kind of weather we have overnight, and whether it means school will be dismissed tomorrow.
"Basically, the procedure is, Mr. Vent (Superintendent Lee Vent) and the transportation supervisor will go out early, probably about 4 a.m., to check road conditions and Mr. Vent will make a decision."
According to Barnes, there are no "snow days" built into this school year. If days are missed, a decision will be made by the school board later in the school year on what to do about them.
In a related manner, the basketball game between Forrest City and Little Rock Mills, scheduled for Mustang Arena, has been cancelled. The Pulaski County School District has cancelled all athletic events.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City School District's ABC School has received a $25,000 grant from Yale University to implement two new programs.
Vivian Ryan, director of the ABC School, said the money will implement a program for 3-year olds, and also a before-school and after-school program.
According to Ryan, for several years, the Forrest City Schools have been designated a "School of the 21st Century" by Yale.
"To be named as such, different sites are interviewed, and you are chosen based on the type of program you have, the components," she said. Some of the components include pre-school, infant, and toddler programs. The district also has HIPPY, in which parents are taught to be instructors for their preschool children, and other programs.
"If you have these components, and if your programs are considered exemplary, they may consider you," she said.
All that was lacking, she said, were the two programs which the grant will fund.
"We had infant, toddler and preschool programs, but we did not have a specific program for 3-year-olds," she said. "So we asked for that and a before and after school program."
The program for 3-year olds will be located in its own room at the ABC school building. The before and after school program will probably be at another location, which has not yet been decided.
The programs are "for any parent who wants the service," Ryan said. "It is going to be based on a sliding pay scale. There will be very little if any that the parents will have to pay."
According to Ryan, the programs should be in place by August, which means they will be ready to implement for the 2002-2003 school year.
She said she is delighted to get the program for 3-year-olds.
"That was a component we needed," she said. "And when people came in to evaluate us, that has always been an area they reminded us of, that we needed to do something for the 3-year-old children, to help with their transition from infants and toddlers to pre-school."
She said some of the ABC teachers will be able to travel to Yale over the summer for training and to hear speakers. This, she said is over and above the grant money.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
St. Francis County's general account ended the first month of a temporary budget period close to its allocated amount with county officials reportedly staying under budget by about $4,500.
St. Francis County Treasurer Ann Harbin said county offices were able to stay under the $290,000 allocated budget, coming in at $285,348.14 for January. According to Harbin, the county general account is at about $40,000 today, with most of the transfers provided for by last month's budget agreement still to be added as well as settlements from the state.
"I'll be transferring the money from the trust account and from the other accounts tomorrow. I've also got some of the transfers from the county officials that still have to come in. The sheriff has transferred his money ($3,800), and I'm expecting to finish the remaining transfers this week," said Harbin.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, the first month of the budget, although tight, was a success.
"Everything went okay during the first month of the budget plan. We've still got another month to go, but I don't foresee any problems. The general account is the only account that we have any problems with, and that problem is statewide in general accounts. The road department and all of the other departments are in good shape," Cisco said.
Cisco also said current plans are for the passage of a second budget proposal to cover the months of March and April during the regular quorum court meeting this month.
According to the plan approved last month, which will cover the general account through April, the county will deplete the $200,000 carryover from 2001 at a rate of $70,000 in January, $50,000 in February and March, and $30,000 in April. The Trust Account will also be emptied over the next four months at a rate of $37,000 per month, and $200,000 of the available $300,000 in county's certificates of deposit will be used.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A new tool, in the form of a mobile command vehicle, has arrived at the Forrest City Police Department.
Last year, the department had requested such a vehicle. During a meeting with the City Council's police committee, it was decided that ordering a custom-made command vehicle would be too expensive. The decision was made to first purchase a van, and then have it fitted out as a command vehicle.
The job of fitting out the van went to Taylor Made Ambulances, headquartered in Newport. Joe Taylor delivered the van on Monday and showed it to members of the police department and to Mayor Larry Bryant.
The van includes its own generator, and will be able to support computers and communication equipment.
Chief Clarence McNeary said the mobile command center would be extremely useful should an emergency arise.
"We will use it during any time of natural disaster," he said, adding that while it is hoped there are no natural disasters, it is good to have such a vehicle. The generator means that it has its own power source, and could act as police headquarters if power were knocked out to the police department.
"Also, whenever there is a tornado warning, the command vehicle will be taken to another location," away from the police station, McNeary said, adding that this mobility will mean that there is at least a good chance that either the van or the police station will be unscathed, meaning there will still be a command center from which actions can be directed.
"In case anything happens to the station itself, we'll still be able to communicate with each other," said McNeary. "It can also coordinate all the other agencies."
For regular law enforcement, the van will carry crime scene equipment.
"We can utilize it for critical scene incidents," McNeary said. "We will have all the equipment available right there, rather than running back and forth to the station."
He said the van can also be used as a public relations tool, visiting schools and being visible at public events.
"It's a tool. And like all good tools, it's in how you utilize it. This is going to be a invaluable resource for the Forrest City Police Department," McNeary said.