By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
For the first time since the Memphis Soaring Society announced it would be leaving the Forrest City Municipal Airport for a new home, the airport commission and representatives of the society sat down to discuss the matter and work out any potential differences.
The Soaring Society's president, Bill Lawrence, and member Nathan Lemmon, met with the commission and City Attorney Knox Kinney. The society's 10-year lease is up, and the society also has a 10-year option.
Lawrence gave some background, stating that the Soaring Society had moved to the airport 10 years ago.
"At that time, we had about six gliders and one tow plane, and approximately 30 members," said Lawrence. "Due to the move, due to management changes, due to the economy, we started growing. And over a period of years we've gotten up to about 80 members. And instead of six airplanes we have 22 or 23 gliders and two tow planes."
He said the society has simply outgrown the facility it built at the Forrest City airport, and said efforts to acquire more land adjacent to the existing facility were unsuccessful. The society has been looking in west Tennessee and east Arkansas for a new home.
"We finally found some suitable property just south of Cherry Valley -- 104 acres -- and we are in the process of developing that as a glider port," Lawrence said.
"We are of the opinion that we have a 10-year lease with a 10 year option, and we expect to do one of two things with our hangar. Hopefully, we will be able to find a tenant to sublease that hangar from us, and we can gracefully depart from the Forrest City airport. If we cannot find a tenant, then we, like many other glider clubs across the country, will operate two locations."
Lawrence also said the weather has not been cooperative in efforts to get the new glider port ready for use.
"We had hoped to be on a position to grade that property and have a runway by August," he said. "My own personal opinion is that the facility won't be available for use this year. It's possible it might be used this fall, but I think that's unlikely. It could take us a couple of years to get that facility were we can operate out of it."
The main bone of contention between the society and the commission has been the society's desire to sublet. There have been some concerns expressed over what type of tenant might come to the airport in that way. The commission has held the opinion that it would get final approval on any tenant to which the hangar is sublet.
Lemmon pointed out that the hangar becomes the property of the airport at the end of the 10-year option period. He also said the society had agreed to build its hangar with a larger opening than was needed for gliders, so the airport could make better use of it when it took possession after 20 years.
Lawrence said any problems could be worked out.
"The Memphis Soaring Society's interest is to work with you folks as best we can and have a tenant in that building until our lease expires -- either us, or somebody that you approve, that's correct," he said.
Commission member Vester Wroten said safety was the main concern.
"My feeling on the matter is, as Bill stated, they have completely outgrown the facility because of the increase in membership. So has my facility (the Civil Air Patrol)," said Wroten. "We're concerned with safety. Your operation (addressing the society members) hasn't been, in my opinion, very safe. There have been cases of, uh, well, disagreement and arguments, and people being cut off, and tow planes landing downwind and all kinds of talk going on about it."
Lawrence answered, "Over a 10 year period, I would think that's probably true."
Wroten continued. "I remember that first meeting, 10 years ago. It sounded pretty good then, but things have changed with you and they've changed with me, too. And of course, the agriculture operation here has increased in size. It's getting too crowded. We're talking about a regional airport, but that's down the road."
Lemmon said, "I do think our expectation was that if we sublet the building, it would be to someone more compatible to the overall operation of the airport than we are."
In the end, no decision was made. Kinney said the thing to do was "to let our group go on back and discuss it and your group do the same and try to see in what ways we can work it out."
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Department of Transportation will help fund the formation of a scaled-down master plan for the Forrest City Municipal Airport, it was announced Monday night at the regular Airport Commission meeting.
Dan Clinton, with Grimes Consulting Engineers of Little Rock, said the federal funding will pay for the master plan.
"What the government has agreed to do is to say yes, you can prepare a downsized master plan, and we will pay for the preparing," said Grimes.
The grant is for $43,000, which he said would be about 90 percent of the cost for developing the plan.
Similar approval had been given on a larger master plan, but the larger plan was abandoned after large-scale protests by local landowners and residents.
Clinton said it was back to square one and "a new master plan, which calls for all improvements to be made inside (property already owned by the airport)." He said many of the same things used in the first master plan could still be used, but all the drawings would have to be re-done.
The new plan will call for expansion of the runway from 3,000 feet to 4,000 feet, as opposed to the 5,000 feet in the original master plan.
"We've made a strong enough argument that you can't stay stagnant," said Grimes. "Your runway is not long enough. You've got to make some improvements."
A shorter runway will also mean smaller aircraft.
"What that does is, it means your noise contours -- the measure of how the noise affects the land around it -- will be smaller," Grimes said.
Grimes also said since no new land will be purchased, environmental concerns will not be as great as they were when the commission was trying to get a 5,000 foot runway.
U.S. Rep. Marion Berry also announced the grant in a press release.
"These funds will be used to improve the airport officials' ability to pan for the future, so that the Forrest City Municipal Airport can continue to act as a catalyst for the economy in St. Francis County," Berry stated in the release.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A third round of budget cuts from the state -- $56 million this time -- will bring the total cuts to $227 million for this fiscal year.
Gov. Mike Huckabee has said he may call a special session for next week to deal with the shortfall.
"The governor did a conference call last night with legislators," said state Rep. Danny Ferguson. "In it, he notified us it looked like there are plans to issue a call for a special session beginning Monday. He has a plan for transfer some fund balances to meet this $56 million shortfall for the rest of this month."
He said lawmakers have been told they will receive an e-mail proposal sometime today, including a draft of a bill Huckabee wants passed.
"The governor has apparently identified some balances that can be transferred to meet the immediate financial crisis," said Ferguson, but he added that there were more problems ahead.
"The other question we've got to look at is that June 30 ends this fiscal year. July 1 starts another," he said. "The budget (for the next fiscal year) that he presented to the legislature and that the legislature adopted -- does that need to be scaled back?"
Ferguson said there have been three rounds of cuts since November, on a budget that had already had its forecasts cut back.
"If those budget forecasts don't hold up, we're just going to see round after round of slashes in next year's budget, keeping in mind that the next fiscal year starts in about four weeks.
"And keep in mind that everything we're facing right now, is also coming in the face of dealing with the Lakeview lawsuit and a new funding formula for schools." The Lakeview suit is being reviewed by the Arkansas Supreme Court, and could end up costing the state a billion dollars or more.
Huckabee said this morning he wants to tap Arkansas' unclaimed property account and temporarily eliminate bonuses for government workers as the state limps toward the end of the fiscal year.
Huckabee said Monday that the state's budget shortfall had swollen to $227 million since November. To deal with $56 million in cuts announced Monday, the governor said he would like to shuffle money among various state accounts.
His plan would need legislative approval. Huckabee had not called a special session by today's press deadline, but has said he would like to have one, perhaps as early as next week.
The mother of a seven-month-old boy was arrested Monday night after police found her and the child living in a mosquito-infested shop on Jake Taylor Hill.
The St. Francis County Sheriff's Department arrested Theresa Anderson, 27, for endangering the welfare of a minor, after receiving a tip that the two were inside the shop just after 10:30 p.m. According to police files, Anderson lists Wynne and Caldwell as her places of residence.
Deputies arriving at the shop reported Anderson and her son were found lying on a mattress inside the building, which had no electricity or water. Police also said the door to the building was standing open, allowing mosquitoes inside. Officials reported the child, who was wearing only a diaper, was covered in dirt, had severe diaper rash and was bleeding from his nose.
The child was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where he was treated and later placed in foster care pending a hearing, according to the police report. Anderson is being held in the St. Francis County Jail, and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
Surveillance tapes appear to be the only items missing from a retail store that was burglarized over the weekend.
A manager opening the Family Dollar Store at 228 W. Broadway in Forrest City Monday morning reported the burglary to police.
According to the report on file at the Forrest City Police Department, the suspect reportedly gained entrance to the building through the back door. Once inside, the suspect rummaged through the office files, police said.
The store manager checked checked the safe, but found no money missing. Only a surveillance tape, taken out of a recorder, and about 20 other tapes were stolen. Those tapes had reportedly been recorded on previous dates.
The investigation is continuing.