By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
Federal budget cuts should not affect highway projects currently scheduled in Eastern Arkansas.
State Sen. Alvin Simes told Forrest City Rotarians this week that the $45 million earmarked for local projects will not be affected by the federal cuts because that money has already been set aside for these jobs. Simes also serves as the chairman of the Senate Interim Committee on Public Transportation.
Part of that money is to continue widening Highway 1. "Eventually, we hope to have double lanes all the way from Forrest City to Wynne and from Forrest City to Marianna and beyond," Simes said.
Simes also discussed highway safety in construction zones, referring to the numerous accidents, and fatalities, that occurred in construction zones on Interstate 40 this past summer. Construction was taking place on I-40 between Forrest City and Brinkley.
"I understand how you all feel about this issue. I have known of people who were killed during that time when construction was going on," said Simes, but added there may not be anything the legislature can do regarding the safety issue at this time. "We are about to have elections, and so it may take a couple of months before these concerns can be addressed by the legislators."
On another highway matter, Simes discussed recent transportation meetings which had been held throughout the Delta. According to Simes, the meetings had never been held outside Little Rock before. One of those meetings was held in Forrest City last month. "There were about 15 legislators from all around the state who came to these meetings at my request," said Simes.
The Senator said his position with the transportation group is important to him because he began to notice the conditions of highways and how they affect economic growth while he was a college student.
"I attended Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, so I drove up and down Highway 1 for quite awhile. Then, when I was attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, that's when I noticed the big difference in their highways and the ones we have here in the Delta Region," Simes said.
He also announced the state is considering a jointly-funded third bridge across the Mississippi River to help ease the traffic burden in West Memphis. However, he did not have any further details on the project.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Memphis Soaring Society is still apparently planning to leave the Forrest City Municipal Airport for its own private field, the Airport Commission was told this week.
"As far as I know, they are still planning to leave in August or September," said Bill Hays, chairman of the commission. "I don't know the particulars about where we stand on their leaving."
The Soaring Society, an organization of glider enthusiasts, will be reaching the end of its 10-year lease at the Forrest City Municipal Airport in August. One question revolves around the hangar the society has on airport property. The 70 foot-by-100 foot hangar was built on the slab of an older building which had burned.
"What is to be done with the building? This is something that will have to be sorted out," said Hays.
On another matter, Hays presented the commission members with two cost estimates he had gotten for a new survey for the existing airport property. One, from Paul Gunn Engineering of Forrest City, was for $3,000. The other, from Grimes Consulting Engineer of Little Rock, was for $5,429.
Hays requested that the commission accept the Gunn estimate, which he would then take to the mayor with a request that it be funded. The commissioners agreed.
Hays also informed the commissioners that the FAA has determined there needs to be a new airport master plan devised -- one which limits any expansion to the airport's existing property.
He also said that at some point, he believes the power lines at one end of the runway will have to be buried.
Slick county roads were the reason behind school closings today, but continued sunshine and warmer temperatures should mean students are headed back to class in the Forrest City School District on Friday.
Forrest City School District Superintendent Lee Vent said the condition of several county roads and highways early this morning led to the decision to keep schools closed.
"We went out this morning at about 4:30, and many of the roads in the county still weren't passable. The streets here in town are in good shape but Highway 334 was in pretty bad shape, and a lot of the roads on the ridge were just too dangerous to have students out on," Vent said.
Vent also said that the decision to keep schools closed centered around the desire to err on the side of caution.
"With as many roads up on the ridge as we have, we thought it was better to have mud on our faces and not blood on our hands," he said.
According to Vent, schools will reopen tomorrow as long as temperatures continue to rise.