By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
At a sometimes heated called meeting, members of the Forrest City Airport Commission refused on Monday to dedicate part of the airport's entitlement funds to the Delta Regional Airport Authority.
Chairman Bill Hays said the commission was being requested to turn over $115,000 to the Delta Regional Airport Authority, which is working on the feasibility of a regional airport somewhere between Forrest City and Wynne. It was apparently the first time that some commission members had heard about it.
The deferment of the funds would mean a delay in plans for the design and construction of a parallel taxiway at the Forrest City Municipal Airport.
Hays said the deferment of funds would be in accordance with the commitment the city of Forrest City made to the concept of a regional airport.
Commission member Homer Jacobs expressed unhappiness with the loss of funding.
"This takes away from our airport here," he said. "This goes to a regional airport, which may not even mature out."
Roger Breeding, a member of the Forrest City City Council, was at the meeting and said Jacobs was right. However, it was also said later that the airport would be reimbursed at a later time.
Jacobs was still upset, and said he believed the city should be required to pay the money instead of the airport.
"They're taking it away from us when we need to be making our improvements here in Forrest City...That is a shock to me. Our intention is making necessary repairs here, including the runway. And this is going to defer that. This is just the first step, and this (the regional airport concept) will be a progressive step, step, step. We might as well quit."
During the discussion, it came out that if the airport commission did not act, the city council might step in and defer the funding.
"We certainly could if we wanted to," said Breeding. "But we're hoping the airport commission will follow the wishes of the city council's vote, in that we voted to pursue the concept of a regional airport with Cross County, St. Francis County and the city of Wynne."
Dr. Thomas Beasley, also an airport commission member, said he was not in favor of deferring the money. "We have the authority to deny it, and let the city council override us," he said. But he also said he believes the city council's final action should be based on the airport commission's recommendation.
Tempers began warming up then, with Breeding accusing the airport commission of deliberately thinking up projects to take money from the idea of a regional airport.
"The position I take on this is that the money has been there in past years, and since the city made a commitment to pursue a regional airport...all of a sudden there are a lot of construction projects that need to be done at the Forrest City airport. That hadn't been done. You've had that entitlement money every year for several years and it hadn't been done," Breeding said.
It was later stated by a couple of commissioners that the airport has not always had that kind of money to use on projects.
Jacobs then questioned the need for a regional airport anyway, stating that there were already larger airports in Helena, West Memphis and Jonesboro, which he said would be convenient to Forrest City.
Another city council member, Steve Hollowell, attended the meeting. He asked why, if there were other large airports around, would the Forrest City Airport be trying to extend its runway.
"You're talking about a small amount of money here, and millions and millions of dollars for a regional airport," Jacobs answered. "It's not feasible to spend that kind of money in this geographical area, when we've got airports that are sufficient for our needs."
Beasley stated that he believed the commission should control the airport money.
"What's happening is, this money is being extracted from funds that are committed to this airport," he said. "Here, we're not really talking about a regional airport. We're talking about funds we have to maintain our airport...So if the city council really wants to pursue this, they have funds. They can use their funds. But to take our funds to pursue your mission, I think is really contrary to what our job is...Our mandate is not for or against a regional airport. Our mandate is to do what is best for this airport."
Breeding said the majority of citizens to whom he has talked are in favor of a regional airport. Jacobs asked him if any of those people were knowledgeable about aviation.
"I doubt very seriously if many of them know a damn thing about aviation, but they know about business," said Breeding.
Hollowell asked the commission members, "Why do you want to obstruct progress?" and was answered by Jacobs that no one was wanting to stop progress.
Breeding became angrier.
"Why do we have to come off in the press -- everytime something like this comes up in Forrest City -- as the city that doesn't want it?" he said. "Why do we have to come off in the press every time, that we can't get along or agree on a damn thing. Now, I'm sorry, but I'm fed up with working my butt off trying to get things passed and progress in the city and a few people -- just a few people -- say they don't want it."
Beasley moved to reject the proposal to defer the $115,000, and the commission approved it.
Breeding was still seething. "It (the regional airport) is a community effort," he said. "It is actually...these two communities working together for something good, instead of one person having to control every thing this city does...I don't think we live under a dictatorship. I don't think one person or one person's appointed commission should have all the control over everything. And they don't.
At that point, commission member Joe Williams moved to adjourn.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Although Bill Hays, chairman of the Forrest City Airport Commission, knew for some time that the commission would be expected to give up some of its entitlement money, it was only recently that he learned the exact amount that would be required.
Hays himself said as much at Monday's called meeting of the commission. That was confirmed this morning by Lana Logan, program manager for Arkansas airports with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The money -- $115,000 -- would go to the Delta Regional Airport Authority as half the cost of conducting a site study and other assessments for a regional airport.
Logan said it was known since January that some money would probably be needed. However, she said it was not until March 12 that she sent a letter notifying the regional airport authority that it should continue with the next phase of its planning.
There is a May 1 deadline for the money to be deferred.
"I guess you could say he (Hays) was put on notice (in January) he would have to report by May 1," Logan said. "However, he really didn't know until March 12" how much it would be.
The Forrest City Airport Commission held its regular meeting April 5, but the deferment was not mentioned at that meeting.
Not meeting the May 1 deadline would have consequences, according to Logan.
"I would have to go back to the Regional Airport Authority and notify the chairman that Forrest City was not going to participate in a regional airport study any longer. That would be my step," she said. "And then it would be up to the community to decide what they would do with that information."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The Palestine-Wheatley School Board adopted a proposal Monday which will pay teachers a reduced amount for accumulated sick days when they leave the district.
By a four-to-one margin, board members approved the policy recommended by district superintendent John Manning, which will cut the amount of pay from $100 per accumulated sick day to the substitute teacher pay of $45 per day.
According to past policy, teachers were paid half of the amount of their $200 per day sick leave if they did not use those sick days and allowed them to accumulate after a five-year period. The new proposal will cut that amount by more than half, which caused one board member to object.
Board member Ronnie Crider expressed concerns over the proposed changes. "Under our old policy, a person with 60 sick days accumulated would receive right at $100 per day if they didn't use any of their sick days. That's a total of $6,000 that they would receive when they left the district. Under this proposal those same people would only get $45 per day or $2,700. That's a pretty big cut," Crider said.
"The fact is, and this is my biggest concern, if this policy is changed it could end up costing the district more in the long run because if a person has those days available and they use them, they will get $200 for using the sick day and the district will also be out $45 per day for a substitute. This may cause the teachers to use more of their sick days," Crider added.
Board president Rodney Hicks responded, "Remember Ronnie, we don't have to give them anything. Sick leave is supposed to be like an insurance policy, and we don't need people that are going to abuse the policy."
Board member John Henry Parker made reference to a former PWSD superintendent saying, "Think of the bind that we would be in if we had 10 people all leave at the same time under that old policy and each of them hit us for the amount of money Jimmy Allen did," Parker said.
Crider responded, "First off, none of us should be calling out people's names in a meeting like this, and if that person was given an amount, and I believe it was around $34,000, it was because we had the old policy in effect and he used it as it should have been used."
To which Parker replied, "That's only if he didn't use his sick days, and I question that."
In other business, board members passed a proposal to reduce the amount of pay for vacation pay to substitute pay.
The board also approved a policy which will allow teachers to use a sick-day bank, which will place two days into a bank of sick days at the beginning of each year which could be used for catastrophic illness. The program would be done on a voluntary basis.
Board members also approved a recommendation from Manning on the rehiring of classified personnel and approved the implementation of several policies at the recommendation of a state panel.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Sludge from Widener's sewage holding ponds may be given to area farmers for fertilizer in an effort to improve its Total Solid Suspended (TSS) tests.
Mayor Dot Halford told members of the Widener City Council on Monday that a recent TSS test showed that the level of sludge was slightly higher than what is allowed by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).
"We got a reading from our TSS, and it wasn't that high, but there was a lot of sludge in there," said Halford. According to Halford, the maximum allowed percentage of sludge is 90 percent. The recent test showed that the system had 94 percent.
Halford then offered one explanation for the percentage. "It was explained to me that when the weather turns warmer, you can have some turn over in the system. But we have to work towards clearing the sludge out." Halford also stated that while a percentage that is over the maximum does not mean that the sewage system would automatically be shut down, the ADEQ does shut down city systems that do not show an effort to improve tests over a long period of time.
Halford said one way for improvement, as suggested by the ADEQ to remove sludge, is to give it to local farmers. "We would have to dry it (the sludge in the two ponds)," stated Halford. "We can remove it with a backhoe and find a place to dry it. Then we can give the sludge away to farmers (at no charge). The farmers can then make use of the sludge as fertilizer for their crops. This is something that we need to keep in mind for the near future so that we can improve our sewage tests."
No action was taken on the matter.
In other business, Halford told the council of a bill the city has been paying for welding tanks that are rented to the city. "We have tanks, but they do not belong to the company we are renting them from. I don't know if the tanks have been switched with older tanks, but I don't think it is right that we have to pay a rental fee to this company if we don't have their property, so I have stopped paying the bill."
Councilmen unanimously voted to request that city attorney Marshall Wright contact the company to find out what the situation is and if the company has legal grounds to request payment.
Halford also announced that Widener Day will be held on Saturday, May 1, beginning at 9 a.m. Many events are planned including bingo, kids games, singing, a bake auction and silent auction. Also, barbecue will be served all day.
Several females were arrested on a variety of charges following a fight Monday evening in which police had to use force to subdue the group.
Police were called to the disturbance D Street about 6:45 p.m., where they found seven female subjects, ranging in ages 15 to 28, fighting with iron pipes, sticks and fists.
According to police, after officers arrived at the scene, one policeman reportedly saw Neisha Mason, 18, 436 D St., Forrest City, swing an iron pipe at Jamie Brown, 18, 1731 Indian Hills, Apt. 7, Forrest City, and that officer sprayed Mason in the forehead with mace. Mason fled the scene on foot, but later returned.
In the meantime, officers saw three more females, a 15-year-old juvenile, Nakisha Mason, 21, 436 D St., Forrest City, and a 16-year-old juvenile fighting with their fists, and after breaking up that fight, observed Renee Wilson, 28, of Madison, being pulled to the ground by a 17-year-old juvenile. The juvenile allegedly struck Wilson several times in the back of the head with an iron pipe. When the 17-year-old refused to stop hitting Wilson, police sprayed her in the forehead with mace, after which, she dropped the pipe.
Wilson was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where she was treated and released.
Charges were filed against all of the subjects involved in the disturbance.
Nakisha Mason is charged with two counts of failure to appear, third-degree battery and disorderly conduct; Neisha Mason is charged with third-degree battery and disorderly conduct; the 15-year-old and the 16-year-old are each charged with third-degree battery; the 17-year-old is charged with three counts of failure to appear and two counts of third-degree battery; Brown is charged with third-degree battery and disorderly conduct and Wilson is charged with seven counts of violation of the Arkansas Hot Check Law.