By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A possible new bridge over the Mississippi from the West Memphis area is drawing attention from transportation officials in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Residents in West Memphis got a chance Wednesday evening to voice their opinions about where the bridge should go, during an open house public meeting. Tonight, a similar meeting will be held in Hernando, Miss.
Ray Woodruff, district engineer with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, said this morning that the meeting is part of an overall study being done, looking at possible improvements on Highway 79. A press release called it phase 2 of the Highway 79 Feasibility Study.
Woodruff said the purpose of the study was to determine if Highway 79 needed to be improved to an Interstate-type facility.
"It was determined early on from public meetings and investigations that Highway 79 didn't really justify becoming an Interstate facility," said Woodruff.
"But," he continued, "it did indicate that there was a need for an additional river crossing from the West Memphis area."
There was some joking that the bridge was being planned to make access to the casinos at Tunica. "It's not really a Tunica type thing," Woodruff said, "although some of the options do link to Highway 61 near Tunica."
Woodruff said the real reason for considering a new bridge is that the two existing bridges for vehicular traffic at West Memphis have about reached their capacity, and in the next 20 years are not expected to keep up with needs.
He said he did not hear anyone speak against the idea of a new bridge at the meeting. The only differences of opinion were in exactly where the bridge should be located.
"There were six alternates shown of possible routes," he said. "Of course, the routes that are presented are kind of broad paintbrush strokes. We're still using a four-inch brush instead of a fine line now. It still has to be narrowed down.
"There were a lot of comments concerning each alternate," he added, stating that it's only natural for people to favor the route that might benefit them.
West Memphis is a busy trucking center , already served by bridges that cross the river into Memphis, on Interstates 40 and 55. Folks in attendance said they'd welcome another.
''I'd like to see another bridge,'' West Memphis resident Richard Bollinger said. ''It would help the traffic situation out here. It's so dangerous.''
One of several possible routes on display included one that would go through land Bollinger and his brother own west of the port of West Memphis.
''It would take a lot of the truck traffic south of West Memphis,'' Bollinger said.
AHTD officials say a third bridge is needed to lessen congestion and make travel safer. Traffic snarls are common where I-40 and I-55 merge in West Memphis.
Four of the possible routes are south of I-55, which now has the southernmost bridge.
Another plan calls for improving the current I-55 bridge. ''The first two are in the Memphis metropolitan area south of the Pigeon Industrial Park,'' project supervisor Butch Babineaux said. ''The last two alternative concepts are on either side of the Horseshoe Lake in Mississippi.''
A number of issues are now under review, including environmental impact, land use and traffic.
Wednesday's meeting was the second one with West Memphis residents. The first was in October.
A feasibility study began last May after federal money was set aside to research road projects in Arkansas. Results of the study will be published in about three months.
In its first concept, the project was supposed to focus on building an interstate highway between Pine Bluff and West Memphis. Consultants found that there wasn't enough traffic demand, so they decided to work on designs for another river crossing.
Also under review for southeast Arkansas is a Mississippi River bridge that would be part of planned Interstate 69.
A female Forrest City High School student suffered a broken jaw during a beating she received at the hands of a male student last Thursday on the FCHS campus.
The 16-year-old suspect was arrested Wednesday, his first day back at school after serving a three-day suspension levied against him by school officials because of the altercation, according to police. The suspect is charged with third-degree battery and first-degree assault based on an affidavit signed by the victim's grandmother on Tuesday.
According to police records, the female student reported she had been having problems with the male student since the beginning of the year, and last Thursday she told him to leave her alone. That's when he allegedly started striking her with his fists, and when she fell to the floor, he allegedly continued to hit her and started kicking her until school officials pulled him off the girl.
She was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where she was treated for a broken jaw, bruises and lacerations to her face and body.
The student is scheduled for a hearing with a juvenile intake officer.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A decision by the quorum court last week to charge B&B Disposal for collecting carts that remain scattered throughout the county faced its first opposition Monday, when officials with B&B attempted to obtain carts from the Northeast Arkansas Recycling Corporation in Madison.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, Jan Beeson, one of the partners with B&B went to NEARCO on Monday asking for several containers that the county and King Disposal had collected last week.
Cisco said Beeson was denied the carts by NEARCO manager J.D. Sharpe. "We've waited almost two months for them to collect those carts, and in the meantime, they have been just sitting on roadsides because they weren't doing anything. They requested another extension from the county so that they could collect the carts, but we haven't seen where they've done anything. We hired King Disposal to collect all the carts on the west side of the Ridge last week, and county crews will be collecting the carts east of the Ridge," Cisco said.
"We've bent over backwards trying to help them out, but we've seen no evidence of them trying to get the carts out of the county. Having those carts out there with garbage that's two months old can cause health hazards, and it has also led to confusion from citizens who have both the B&B cart and the King cart, because King only has to collect the trash from their carts, but if you've got trash at your house that's been there for two months you just want it gone," he said.
Officials with B&B said that they were not made aware of the quorum court's decision last week, but they also didn't understand why the county would charge them a fee for their own equipment when the county still owes them for February collections.
Beeson was not available for comment, but co-owner Mike Barkley said, "On Monday, we weren't told about any decisions by the court. J.D. just told us that we couldn't have the carts and that the judge told him that we couldn't have them. We're not under any contractual obligations to the county, and I guess the judge and court made the decision to fine us.
"The county still owes us money for the month of February, and I can't see how they can expect us to pay them for anything. The county is holding equipment that belongs to us and that we have every right to," Barkley said.
According to Cisco, the county made a $40,000 payment to B&B for February, but held back $15,000 to $17,000 until B&B completed their job, including cart collection.
According to Barkley the company is still working in the county collecting carts.
In honor of Professional Secretaries Day, the East Arkansas Community College Department of Continuing and Community Education will present "A Seminar for Busy Professionals," on Friday, April 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The seminar will be held at the school's Learning Resource Center, in Room B-129.
Maryanne Macdonald will present the seminar. She has been teaching classes on organization and time management since 1989. Her organized home has been featured in The Commercial Appeal Home & Garden section, and she is often quoted as the organization expert in local publications.
" When it comes to cutting the clutter and getting organized, Maryanne Macdonald can tell you how to get it all done, a press release stated. "Juggling a career, family demands, and a busy consulting schedule has given Maryanne the know-how to make things happen in less time and with less stress. She is manager of the Executive MBA Program at The University of Memphis, the mother of two, a church volunteer and a guest speaker on organization and time management. She even has free time to do the things she wants to do such as reading, needle pointing, gardening and cooking."
She helps show people how getting the clutter out of their lives can make their work and home environment less stressful and more fun.
For more information, contact EACC's Department of Community Education at 870-633-4480, extension 261 or 333. The fee for the class, which includes lunch, handouts, advice and instruction, is $29, made payable to EACC.