By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Although city and county officials have not been able to put solid figures to the cost of clean-up from last Tuesday's straight line winds, efforts to remove debris have forced both government agencies to adjust the work schedules of their road departments.
Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant said crews that started cleaning up after the storm on Tuesday, have worked diligently over the last week trying to get things "back to normal" including working an eight-hour day on Saturday. According to Bryant, the storm debris has pushed workers a week behind their normal schedule.
"We had a lot of debris out there, and our guys have really worked hard since the storm. I'm proud of the effort that they have shown. I told the supervisors that they could work overtime on Saturday, and several of the crews came in and worked. Because of that, we might be caught up and back on our normal schedule by early next week," Bryant said.
According to Bryant, the biggest issue for crews currently have been calls from citizens wanting crews to pick up debris.
"I would just ask that citizens be patient with us. I understand that once the debris is out on the curb people want it gone, but we've had cases where the crews have been through on one day and folks get home and do some more work and carry more stuff out to the curb that evening and call wanting us to come back by. We're working our way from the north end of town back to the south so that we can cover the entire city," Bryant said.
City Street Department Manager Clovis Macon echoed the mayors statements. "We're working as hard as we can and the guys have done a really good job. I understand that people want that stuff gone as soon as they drag it out there, but what people have to understand is that when we come by, we're not only going to pick up the stuff that's at their house, but also everyone on the street that they're on. It's not fair to people in another neighborhood that we're working in for us to just pick up and leave. If we did that every time we got a phone call, we'd never get the entire city covered."
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco said county crews have also put in extra hours removing debris, but due to the nature of the damages and the fact that the county uses comp-time instead of overtime, costs for the clean-up may not be that high.
"Our crews have put in a lot of work removing debris from roads and clearing roads, but we didn't have it nearly as bad as in Forrest City. We had a few structures that were damaged, but nothing major. The costs for our clean-up will probably be in the area of $20,000 to $30,000," Cisco said.
"Our people have really worked hard, and they've come in early and stayed late trying to get as much done as they can. That's another area where we've been able to save, because we don't offer overtime. We give our people comp-time which allows them to take time off for any extra hours that they put in," he said.
Tuesday's storm knocked out power to over 8,000 Entergy customers from Brinkley to Hughes and left massive damages in the city of Memphis where over 80,000 customers of Memphis Light, Gas & Water are still without electricity.
The proposed golf course project at Village Creek State Park is apparently coming closer to fruition, according to state Rep. Danny Ferguson, who is also executive director of the Forrest City Chamber of Commerce.
He said he recently talked with Greg Butts of the state Parks and Tourism Commission.
"He said the feasibility study that came back was very positive," said Ferguson. "It showed that it would be a profitable venture, and the Parks Commission gave the go-ahead for the Parks Department to proceed with negotiations with the developer. And when they come up with a mutually agreed-upon package, they'll bring it back to the Parks Commission."
It was reported recently that there are hopes of having a lease signed in September.
Ferguson said the Parks and Recreation Department is studying contracts done by the company interested in the project.
"They're making sure that it's not only a good deal for the public but a good deal for the state," Ferguson added. "But at this point, it looks very positive."
According to reports, The Wellington Group wants to develop
a 27-hole golf course with a rustic lodge, hotel and restaurant.
The article also said that tennis courts, a swimming pool and
a sporting clays range are in the plans.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board will hold a regular quarterly board meeting Friday, Aug. 1, 2003, at East Arkansas Community College in Forrest City.
One item of discussion will be the proposed new program offering an Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology at EACC.
"They are the board of authority for higher education in Arkansas," said Dr. Coy Grace, EACC president. "They will discuss various things concerning academic programs and financial concerns for higher education in Arkansas."
He said the decision pro or con on the Radiologic Technology program will be made, "and they will also make the decision for 15 or 20 programs around the state."
The Coordinating Board Academic Committee will meet at 9:15 a.m., followed by the Board Finance Committee at 9:45 a.m. The regular quarterly meeting of the board will begin at 10:00 a.m. or whenever the committee meetings end. All the meetings will be held in the Lecture Hall on the EACC campus.
"It just so happens to be the first time they've been here," commented Grace. "But they do this on a quarterly basis at some location within the state."
St. Francis County had an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent in June, up from 8.7 percent in May and from 9.4 percent in June of last year.
The figure gave the county the 16th highest unemployment out of Arkansas' 75 counties.
According to the figures supplied by the Arkansas Employment Security Department, during June St. Francis County had a civilian labor force of 12,875, with 11,625 working and 1,250 not working.
The state's highest unemployment was in Mississippi County, which recorded a 15.7 percent jobless rate. There were 15 counties with rates of 10 percent or higher during June.
The lowest rate was 2.8 percent, recorded in both Benton and Madison counties. Five counties had unemployment of 4 percent or lower; 17 were at 5 percent or lower.
The rates in surrounding counties during June were as follows: Cross, 9.2 percent; Crittenden, 7.7 percent; Lee, 10.2 percent; Phillips, 10.5 percent; Monroe, 8.6 percent and Woodruff, 11.6 percent.
Arkansas' rate during June was 5.6 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage form May's 5.5 percent. It is the state's highest unemployment rate since May of 1998. However, the Arkansas average is better than the country's. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in June, the highest since April of 1994.
A gun stolen from a police department almost 20 years ago was recovered Tuesday evening when Forrest City police were called to a disturbance on Forrest Street.
Officers with the Forrest City Police Department responded to a call about 6:45 p.m. from a woman who told them her son had threatened her. According to the police report, the 17-year-old juvenile was causing a disturbance at the home and told his mother that he would "go to his room and get a gun and shoot her." However, the mother told police she dialed 9-1-1 before he could get the gun, but not before the teenager fled the home.
Officers performing a routine check on the 12-gauge shotgun discovered it had been stolen from the Newport Police Department in February 1985.
No charges have been filed. The investigation is continuing.
Lincoln Middle School will hold registration beginning on Wednesday Aug. 6. Schedules for 6th grade students will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7th grade students can pick up their schedules and registration will close on Friday Aug. 8, with new student registration. Current immunization will be needed on all students and any new students should also bring a birth certificate and proof of grade placement.