By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
By a narrow vote, the St. Francis County Budget Committee approved a recommendation to replace the roofs at the St. Francis County Courthouse and Jail.
By a 3-2 margin, justices voted to recommend the use of Jonesboro Roofing Company to the full quorum court at next week's monthly meeting. Justices agreed to approve the funding of more than $239,000 for replacing the roofs at the jail and courthouse after some discussion. Justice Regan Hill, who also serves on the Building and Improvement Committee argued that the court should take more time before deciding to spend the money for the roof.
"I still think that before we spend $25,000 more for the roof than another company has said they can do it for, we need to look a little harder at this. There are a couple of technicalities that can be fixed, and we might be able to save the county a substantial amount of money," said Hill.
Justice Donald Cagle, the second dissenting vote, questioned whether it was necessary to do the entire roof of the courthouse and he also wanted more time to investigate the need for replacing the roof.
"I know that the problems at the jail need to be taken care of right now, but I don't know if anyone has looked into all of the possibilities that surround that leak in the courthouse. There could be some condensation from the air conditioning hoses that is causing the water to pool and we just don't know," said Cagle.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, the possibility of problems with the air conditioning has been inspected along with the entire roof.
"The air conditioning in this part of the building is new and when the major part of this problem began earlier this summer, that was the first thing we looked at. The problem that we have with the roof is that no one can pin point exactly where the leak is so it can't be repaired that simply," Cisco said.
Cagle, who worked as a roofing contractor, also questioned whether the current roof needed to be removed before the new roof is added.
"I know that there is a good layer of roof up there and I don't see why it has to be removed to put this new roof on. I would think, from my experience, that they could come in here and lay the new roof on top of the good layer and save the county some money," Cagle said.
Justices Leodis Williams, O.J. Gandy and Evan Seawood all voted in favor of submitting the funding to the full court. Justice Henry Wilkinson, chairman of the budget committee told justices that the majority of the funding might have to come from the county's Trust Fund which currently stands at $439,689.34.
The committee also agreed to increase the life insurance coverage for all employees. Earlier this year, Seawood approached the committee about additional life insurance for St. Francis County deputies. Tuesday, Seawood and SFC Judge's administrative assistant Tracey Teal submitted a proposal to the committee which would increase the coverage for all employees to $30,000 under a voluntary plan which would be paid by the county and would allow employees to continue with payments after retirement, quitting or firing. Justices agreed to add the $1,150.25 in monthly insurance payments to the 2004 annual budget.
The committee also agreed Tuesday to stop paying the county's auxiliary deputies and uniform costs from the Sheriff's Department's radio fund. In 2001, the county shifted those costs to that fund under a budget crunch, but now the fund is being depleted due to repairs needed to the county's radio tower, according to Chief Deputy H.N. Green.
Committee members also agreed to allow Sheriff Dave Parkman to hire a jailer for the remainder of the year to replace a jailer who is out on sick leave. The new employee will be hired under contract labor.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the St. Francis County Courthouse Building and Improvement Committee decided to backtrack Tuesday, recommending the use of Jonesboro Roofing Company to replace roofs at the St. Francis County Courthouse and Jail.
Last month, justices recommended the use of JRC, only to then agree to accept bids on a second type of roof after viewing a presentation from Top Choices Roofs, Inc., of Memphis. On Monday, bids were opened and problems with the bid packet submitted by Suiter Construction Co., of West Memphis, with Top Choice as the subcontractor were found.
According to committee chairman Sam Armstrong, the bid needed to be thrown out due to a pair of issues. First, the bid bond was not properly signed and sealed by Suiter Construction, and secondly, Top Choice is not a licensed contractor in the state of Arkansas.
A $25,000 difference in price caused at least one justice to question whether the committee should allow Top Choice the opportunity to correct the problems with their bid.
"Well, I think that this whole ordeal has been questionable since this new company (Top Choice) came into play. They came to us with a new type of material, and we agreed to accept bids on that, and since that time, a lot of questions have been asked about them, and there have been some things that just didn't seem right taking place," said Justice Regan Hill.
"This company came in approximately $25,000 less than our original low bid, and I think that it would be a little short-sighted to throw this bid out based on a couple of technicalities. We opened bids on this project at 10 a.m. Monday, and since that time, somebody has filed a complaint with the State Contractor's Licensing Board against Top Choice, and I'm bound to find out who had a hand in this. If it were my money, I don't know that I would be so quick to jump at spending $25,000 more than I had to," he said.
SFC Judge's administrative assistant Tracey Teal told the committee that she had contacted the Licensing Board at the request of Armstrong.
"I talked with a gentleman with the Licensing Board after Mr. Armstrong asked me to find out whether Top Choice was licensed, but I didn't file a complaint with them," Teal said.
"Listen, they came in here and talked to us about their product, and I'm not sure that the product wouldn't work for the building, but not with this company and this bid. I can't say if they're a reputable company, but if they are then why haven't we been able to find a physical address on them and why didn't they have a contractor's license," said Armstrong.
Kyle Ogdon with the Contractor's Licensing Board said this morning that an informal complaint was filed Monday morning at 10:13 a.m. Ogdon also noted that Top Choice was not currently licensed, and by submitting a bid, was in violation of state regulations.
"We were not able to locate a license for Top Choice, but they did obtain a licensing packet last week. The process to get licensed usually takes two to three weeks, but by submitting a bid Monday, they were in violation and they knew that they would be in violation if they submitted a bid," Ogdon said.
According to Ogdon, an investigation is pending into the complaint, and he said that as of today neither Suiter nor Top Choice had been pinpointed as the primary company being investigated.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco spoke briefly to the committee asking if it would save the county money to attempt to patch problems along the west corridor of the building which have left St. Francis County Circuit Clerk Bette Green's office with leakage problems along with problems in the Sheriff's office and the County Treasurer's office while also having the roof replaced at the jail.
"It's been my experience at the school that if you patch, and patch, and patch you eventually end up with one big patch instead of a roof. Jonesboro Roofing is a reputable company with a lot of experience working in this area, and I don't think we can go wrong allowing them to do this work," said Justice Leodis Williams.
The original bid of over $239,000 was submitted to the budget committee, and was approved by a 3-2 vote.
In other business, Cisco updated the board on the removal of trees and bushes around the county owned house on Cross Street as well as the removal of a garage on the house.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The October meeting of the Palestine City Council was conducted in an emotional atmosphere as citizens from all corners of St. Francis County attended the meeting armed with a petition for railroad crossing arms at one crossing and the closure of another crossing in the city.
A standing room only crowd packed the Palestine City Hall Tuesday night in an attempt to prevent more accidents and deaths at a railroad crossing on Arkansas Highway 261 and the closure of the crossing called Farrar's Crossing on Sulcer Street.
Tina Pate was the main spokesperson for the group. Pate is the mother of 16-year-old Angela Pate and 9-year-old Billy Pate who were both killed by a train at the 261 crossing in March. The step-grandfather of the Pates, Carl Hankins was also involved in an accident at the same crossing earlier this month, but was uninjured.
Pate began, "I would like for each of you (on the city council) to take into consideration our petition to close the (Farrar's) crossing and put crossing arms on the main street (261) crossing. The petition is signed by every registered voter in Palestine, and it says that if the city council won't take action, we will move up to the state, railroad or whoever we need to. It also says that if the council fails to pass a resolution, the issue should be voted on."
Mayor Willetta Carroll stated that she felt the city should vote on the issue. "I would ask that the city vote on it. We don't want to pass a resolution that people might object to. If the people are in favor of closing the crossing down, they should be able to vote on it."
Carroll also stated that a special election on the issue would cost money. "We don't have money to hold a special election. And we have to have more than (crossing) arms to fix the problem. Kids will cross around those when they are down."
Some confusion occurred over to the petition from the citizens. It was clarified that the petition requests that the Palestine City Council look into closing the Sulcer Street crossing and place crossing arms at the 261 crossing, an offer given by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Arkansas State Highway Department, but not put up the crossing arms.
Forrest City attorney Mike Easley and Steve Boyda, an attorney from Topeka, Kan., were on the agenda to address the railroad issue. According to Boyda, he specializes in railroad cases. Both stated that they had a petition and evidence that they wanted the crowd to consider.
"The railroad has successfully pitted the citizens against Palestine," stated Easley. "That is what the railroad does. They are doing the same thing in Wynne and other cities. They blame the city and want them to close another crossing so that arms and lights can be placed at a dangerous one. They say they can't afford to put up lights, it costs about $150,000 to put them up. I don't see why we, the city, would have to close the Sulcer crossing. That is how the railroad conducts 'safety', to tell the city to close a crossing and not put up crossing arms in return." Some in the crowd expressed concern that closing the Sulcer crossing would restrict emergency vehicles from access to part of Palestine.
According to Boyda, the reason the railroad places blame on the city and state is an act passed by the U.S. Congress over 30 years ago.
"In 1971, the U.S. Congress passed the Rail/Highway Safety Act. It spreads the responsibility from the railroad to the states and cities. Basically, an evaluation team is sent by the state and railroad. They evaluate a crossing on safety and report it to the railroad. The railroad then determines if a crossing is needed. Congress gives enough money each year for about 15 to 20 new crossings under the act. The railroad can, and will, put up lights and arms if they want to. Our goal is to show them all of the problems with this crossing with evidence and the petition. Problems that are in violation of their own standards. In my opinion, after we do this, it would be criminal for them not to improve the crossing and have another accident happen there (because of improvements not made)."
It was asked of Easley what the difference was between the citizens' petition and their petition. "Anyone who drives across this crossing or cares about anyone who drives across this crossing can sign. Also, we are wanting to put pressure, but the right kind of pressure on the railroad to put up this crossing. You have to talk to these people in a language they can understand. I am not promising that this will work, but this is the best way we know how to prevent this (fatal accidents) from happening."
Boyda and Easley passed out pictures and survey drawings they claimed backed up their allegations They also stated that they have videotapes of the crossing showing the hazards the of the 261 crossing.
The subject came up that if observation was done on the 261 crossing, that a similar observation be done on the Sulcer Street crossing so that arms can be placed on it as well. Both Easley and Boyda agreed that if the citizens wanted one, they would do one.
After the meeting, Easley spoke about the history of the 261 crossing. "I have handled so many accidents at that crossing," he said. "After the Pate children, I offered my help to the mayor. I'm working pro bono for the city on this. I just want this area to be safe." No concrete numbers were offered by any party, but the consensus was that between eight and 11 fatal accidents have occurred at the 261 rail crossing in Palestine over the years.
The St. Francis County Community Foundation will be accepting applications for grants until Nov. 4.
Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $1,000 for local charitable causes.
Foundation Chairman Buddy Billingsley explained, "Grants will be made to organizations with well-planned approaches to public problems, issues and causes. We are particularly looking for projects through which small amounts of grant money will result in significant outcomes."
Applicants must be tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Service Code.
"It is not the foundation's policy to fund religious activities, political campaigns, normal operating budgets, debt elimination or taxpayer responsibilities."
Foundation Executive Director Sonya Fletcher commented on grants made during the past year.
"The foundation makes grants to help the quality of life in our community," said Fletcher. "The foundation has an unrestricted grant-making fund that allows us to assess the community needs and make grants to non-profit organizations to support those needs.
She said that during its first two years, the foundation awarded $17,585 in grants. Grantees during the July 1-June 30, 2003 fiscal year included the Give A Paw Adoption Center, Delta Bridges Inc., St. Francis County Food Pantry, Literacy Council of St. Francis County, Forrest Hills Elementary School, Lincoln School Campus Beautification, Elegant Arts Home Extension and the American Lung Association for a local youth to attend Asthma Camp.
"We look forward to granting a like amount to worthy causes in the coming year," Fletcher said. "With the continued support of the Walton Foundation, we have raised endowment funds totaling more than $400,000. In five years, we plan to have over $1 million in assets and be awarding grants of more than $50,000 each year."
Those interested in applying for grants this year are invited to attend a grant application seminar that will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Pettus Hall at Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church at 402 Dillard Street. Fletcher may be reached at 630-2400 for questions or to sign up for the seminar. The St. Francis County Community Foundation website is www.arcf.org.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Funding for the Forrest City Christmas Parade and a new sign for the Forrest City Civic Center was discussed during the monthly meeting of the Forrest City Advertising and Promotions Commission.
Sheila Lieblong, secretary of the commission and an employee at the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce, asked for funding for the annual Christmas Parade. "Last year we asked for $2,500 for the parade. This year we are wanting to order banners in addition to the trophies, but we are asking for the same amount." Lieblong also stated that the parade will be held on Dec. 5 this year. The members agreed to fund the parade up to $2,500.
Member Steve Hollowell, who also serves on the Forrest City City Council, talked about a proposed new sign for the Forrest City Civic Center. "The city is discussing replacing the sign with another electronic sign. Some time ago, the A and P talked about paying half of the cost of the sign. The city would pay the other half."
Fellow city councilman Cecil Twillie, who also serves on the A and P, stated that the sign would cost approximately $30,000. The commission stated that they support the city council's effort to replace the sign, but did not take any formal action.
In other news, Kathy Hess presented pictures of the mural project being funded by the commission. According to Hess, the mural, entitled "Southern Sportsman," is on its way. "The beams (that will support the free standing mural) should be up in two weeks. After the beams are set, the mural shouldn't take long."
Laura Mazzanti, director of the St. Francis County Museum, gave a recap of the Arkansas Delta Byways Banquet that was held recently, which the commission helped fund.
"The Byways banquet was a success. We set an attendance record with 190 that night. In that number, we had several elected officials from across the state. We also set a record with the amount of money our silent auction raised. We did have some overnight visitors as well. It was a complete success. We appreciate all of the help you provided with the event."
Before adjourning, local attorney Brad Beavers offered members an update on the U.S. Department of Transportation grant that will be used for structural improvements to the SFC Museum. "We were supposed to receive a letter from them last week. I called, and they are sending the letter in the mail today. After we receive the letter, we can bid out the projects."
The Widener City Council on Monday passed a resolution authorizing the city to apply for a grant from the USDA to purchase a heat pump for city hall.
According to Mayor Dot Halford, the matching grant will be for $2,400, with another $800 coming from the city.
The Caldwell City Council on Tuesday attempted to clarify what is to be considered a commercial establishment.
Mayor Gary Hughes asked for guidance from the council. The city recently adopted a zoning law, which deals with what can or cannot be sold in residential districts. Hughes said he was worried that the law was not specific enough.
"We need to define what a retail establishment is," said Hughes. "What can be sold in a yard, or if anything can be sold in a yard?"
He said it was never the intent of the city to prohibit people from holding rummage sales. During the discussion, it was also brought out that so-called seasonal sales, such as produce and hay bales in season, are exempted. There was also some concern for people who may have a single car in their yard with a "for sale" sign on it.
There was some discussion on whether the sale of new merchandise should be considered a business enterprise. There was also some feeling expressed that the frequency of doing business (once a week, five days a week, etc.) might help determine whether or not a commercial business was being operated in a residential area. Neither of those were included in the final vote.
City Attorney Steve Routon attended the meeting and helped in the discussion. He said the ordinance refers to "goods and services," and said that "goods" covers just about everything.
After discussing it for nearly an hour, the council agreed to ban commercial establishments from residential areas, and gave three definitions of a commercial establishment: 1) Operating indoors; 2) having a sales tax permit; or 3) able to be defined as a used car dealer under Arkansas law.
Any of those three things will make it illegal to do business in a residential area. Hughes thanked the council and said that would help.
On another matter, Hughes told the council that the "Cotton Pickin' Days" festival was a success this year. He said attendance was up from the previous year, and added that it looked as if expenses would be $5,000 and total revenue would be around $8,000.
Hughes also said the city is cautiously studying bids on a new fire truck.