By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
An aircraft maintenance firm will be allowed to take over the lease of a gliding club at the Forrest City Municipal Airport, if certain conditions are met.
Without the conditions -- the main one being that the Memphis Soaring Society terminate its lease so that any dealings would be between the airport commission and Central Arkansas Turbines, Inc. -- the measure would not have passed. The first motion, which did not include the conditions, could not get a second.
The Memphis Soaring Society has had a lease at the Forrest City airport for 10 years, and has constructed a building on the property. The club has exercised its option for another 10 years.
There have been some disagreements, some of them vocal, between members of the Soaring Society, the Airport Commission, agriculture flyers who use the airport and the Civil Air Patrol. The disagreements centered around safety concerns and alleged violations of airport policy by the Soaring Society's tow plane. The Soaring Society said any problems were isolated incidents, and that others had also acted in an unsafe manner.
The Soaring Society announced recently that it plans to leave the airport. The club has purchased land near Cherry Valley and has already constructed a small runway.
The club and the commission had discussed several possibilities, including an outright buyout of the lease or allowing the club to sublet the building.
At a meeting last week, the club offered to sublet the leased airport property to Central Arkansas Turbines, Inc. Mike Lester, representing the company, was there. He outlined some improvements he planned to make to the building, two of which were installation of central heating and resurfacing the floor. The Airport Commission agreed to wait a week, and then have a special meeting Monday.
As the meeting began, commission member Homer Jacobs said there were some conditions he wanted. First, he asked, was the Memphis Soaring Society willing to terminate its lease? Second, what would be the time frame for the Soaring Society leaving? Third, would Central Arkansas Turbines work with the commission in case the business defaulted?
There was some discussion after that, during which Bill Lawrence, president of the Soaring Society, said he wished those questions had been brought up sooner.
Lester, who was present again, said he would be willing to work out anything that was fair to both sides.
In answer to one of the questions, Lawrence said the the club had already stated it would vacate in about two weeks.
After some more discussion, the first motion was made to approve the sublease, and there was no second. Board Member Dr. Thomas Beasley said he was concerned over the questions Jacobs had raised. City Attorney Christopher Morledge said there was some urgency, because Central Arkansas Turbines might go elsewhere.
Lawrence said he believed the board of the Soaring Society would agree to terminate, but he could not speak for them at that moment.
Danny Ferguson, who was there representing the Forrest City Industrial Commission and the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce, asked if the deal could be approved, contingent upon the conditions which Jacobs had mentioned.
A motion was then made, seconded and adopted, allowing Central Arkansas Turbines, Inc. to take over the lease, provided the conditions are met. Morledge and the Soaring Society's attorney are to get together and draw up a document for approval by the Soaring Society's board of directors.
The agreement will state that if Central Arkansas Turbines goes out of business, any negotiations will be between the company and the airport commission and the City of Forrest City.
"The Memphis Soaring Society will be out of the loop," said Morledge.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A member of the Madison City Council may actually not be a resident of Madison.
According to alderman Leroy Anderson, officials with the St. Francis County Clerk's office told him last month, that his home was not inside the city limits of Madison.
"I went to file a few months back, and I was told that my home was not in the city limits by two of the ladies in the County Clerk's office. Apparently, when the city did its annexation some years back, my area was supposed to be included, and it wasn't. They said that there may have been some problems with the redistricting and the 911 addresses that could cause the problem, but I was not allowed to file," Anderson said.
According to Anderson, he has voted as a Madison resident for a number of years, although his home had a Forrest City address.
"I've voted in Madison since the annexation was supposed to happen. There were some problems a few years back when they didn't want to let me vote in the city, but I went to the county and was sent a letter telling the poll workers to allow me to vote in Madison, and that's where I've voted since," Anderson said.
According to St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith, all of the county's records for Anderson show him as a rural resident and he should never have been allowed to file for the position. Anderson is currently finishing his first term on the council after being elected in 2000. Anderson was allowed to run for the office prior to Smith taking the office of county clerk.
In other business, by a 5-0 vote, with alderman Oscar Brown abstaining, the council voted to endorse a resolution against proposed Amendment 3 which could remove sales tax from food and medicine.
Brown voiced strong opposition to the council voting on the resolution. "This is something that I think we should let the people decide and not something that we should voice our opinion on. I don't understand why we're trying to tell the citizens of Madison what to do, that's not what we're here for. I think we should let them make up there own minds."
Madison Mayor James Brooks updated council members on the progress of he annual audit. According to Brooks, the city will be written up in the audit for failing to pass a budget for the 2002 year. Brooks told council members that if the council followed the advice of the auditors, the council would approve the budget even though the city wouldn't be in compliance. Council member Annie Winfrey argued against passing the budget, saying that she didn't see why the council should pass a budget when they were going to get written up regardless.
"If we couldn't agree on a budget before the deadline, I don't see why we should pass one now. We're going to get written up either way we go, and I'm not going to vote to pass a budget that won't do anything. When we tried to meet about the budget, we were locked out in the rain and never got it done," Winfrey said.
Aldermen were also told by Brooks that construction on a community center could begin next month. Brooks told council members that a shed on the property might have to be demolished and a new shed built on a different site to allow for parking.
Brown commented, "I said in the beginning that there wasn't going to be enough parking over there with that building on it, and you kept telling us it would be fine. Now, you're coming to us telling us that the building may have to be torn down."
Brooks referred to the past concerns as water under the bridge, to which Winfrey responded, "This city seems to be drowning in that water. The council approved the spending of over $20,000 for the land and the building, and we voiced our concerns over the parking at the site for the center. Now you're telling us that the building may have to be torn down. That just seems like wasted money," Winfrey said.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
An elderly Marianna man was killed, and another injured, in an accident Monday afternoon on Highway 1 North.
The wreck occurred about 1:10 p.m. in front of the MFA Oil location at 5082 N. Washington. Police believe the two men were trying to get to the business to pay their bills when the accident occurred.
According to the Forrest City Police Department Patrolman Travis Hill, Clarence Daniels, 78, and Louis Martin, 75, both of Marianna, were traveling north in the inside lane in Daniels' 1989 Buick when he pulled over into the path of a northbound 2002 Mazda pickup driven by Jason Oliver Andrews, 25, of Wynne. Andrews was traveling in the outside lane on Highway 1.
Andrews rearended Daniels' vehicle, knocking the rear of his car into the backseat, and trapping the two elderly men inside the car, which landed in a ditch. Emergency workers with the Forrest City Fire Department were called to the scene to help remove the men from the car.
Martin, who suffered head and internal injuries, was airlifted from the scene to the Med Center in Memphis where he later died. Daniels was taken by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where he was treated and released. Andrews was not reported injured.
Hill said charges are pending in the accident.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The Hughes City Council met for two hours in an executive session Monday night that was a direct violation of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Councilmen called the executive session at the request of acting Hughes Police Chief James Wilson. Wilson told councilmen he wanted the executive session to discuss personnel issues and a criminal investigation. Personnel matters are the only reasons provided by law to call an executive session.
Wilson took over as chief after the resignation of Chief Joe Stone as of Sept. 29, according to a press release.
During the closed session, Wilson left the meeting several times to request officers, one at a time, to come into the meeting. The officers entered the closed meeting, but none of them exited before another officer would be called in to speak before the council. In essence, councilmen allegedly met with the entire police force in what was disguised as an executive session.
After the executive session, Mayor Donnie Mooney said the council discussed the purchase of hand radios and repairs to a squad car, both police concerns and both violations of the FOI.
Executive sessions are permitted only for the purpose of discussing a personnel matter, and only the person to which the personnel matter is to have a direct impact, and that person's supervisor, is allowed the attend the meeting.
Upon returning to the regular meeting, councilmen unanimously voted to purchase the radio and to fix the vehicle.
In other business, a dozen concerned citizens were not allowed to speak at the council meeting.
Mooney told the media after the meeting that anyone wanting to speak at future council meetings must request to be on the agenda by at least 12 noon on the date of the meeting. However, when asked by a citizen wanting to speak, Mooney stated that requests needed to be made a day in advance. Mooney addressed the media after the meeting when the citizen was not present.
In open session, the council voted to pass a resolution opposing Amendment 3 which eliminates taxes on food and medicine. Mooney told the members it was in the city's best interest to pass a resolution.
"It (Amendment 3) will put a big dent in the school and city budget," stated Mooney. "It will cut everything if it passes, and the state will have to come up with that revenue some way."
Mooney also updated the council on the recent collection of mosquitos for testing of the West Nile Virus. Mooney said several of the insects have tested positive for the virus.
"This is only going to get worse," Mooney added. "We really need to work on fighting this thing."
Professor Pigskin didn't fool too many readers this past week.
And, helping their cause was the lack of upsets in the selection of the 24 football games.
Six readers ended in a tie, each missing just two games, which brought the Arkansas-Auburn game into play as the tie-breaker.
Three of the six picked Auburn over Arkansas which immediately narrowed the field to three, since Arkansas won the game.
Of the three remaining entrants, each picked the Razorbacks to win, but it was Jerry Hemphill of Forrest City, who got closest to the final score, coming within 13 points of the final 38-17 Arkansas victory.
Hemphill picks up the $50 cash prize for his efforts.
This week's selection of Pigskin games can be found inside today's Times-Herald.
The annual Forrest City Marching Festival, hosted by the Forrest City Band Boosters, will be held this Saturday, Oct. 19, beginning at 11 a.m., at Sam Smith Stadium.
Bands will continue competing until about 7 p.m.
Seventeen high school and junior high school bands from Arkansas will be performing for trophies. Judges are from Delta State in Mississippi and the University of Alabama.
The Forrest City Mustang Band will perform last, and will be graded by the judges, although the home band is not allowed to win.
Admission is $2 per person, and concessions will be available.