By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
With little discussion, the Forrest City Airport Commission on Monday agreed in special session to allow $115,000 of its entitlement money to be used for continued studies by the Delta Regional Airport Commission.
A week earlier, the commission had balked at giving up the money, which originally had been earmarked for safety improvements at the Forrest City Municipal Airport.
The city council, at its regular meeting on Tuesday, the day after the commission met, chose not to override the commission's decision, but voted to ask the members to reconsider.
"As you know, both the mayor and Forrest City City Council have recommended that we reconsider the vote that was taken at our last meeting, which was not to grant the $115,000...as a match with the city of Wynne," said Bill Hays, commission chairman.
The money is from what is called non-primary Fiscal Year 2004 entitlement funds. Together with money from Wynne, it is to be used to conduct a site selection study, an airport master plan and an environment assessment for a regional airport.
"We are here tonight to finally resolve this," said Hays.
Commission member Vester Wroten moved to give the money, and Joe Williams seconded. On the vote, Wroten, Williams and Homer Jacobs voted yes. Dr. Thomas Beasley was absent.
After the vote, Hays said he would advise the Federal Aviation Administration of the decision, both by fax and a mailed copy.
Hays also said that local projects would not be brought to a complete standstill.
"We will continue on," Hays said. "You see, $115,000 out of $150,000, that still gives us $35,000, and we still have FY'03 moneys, so we've still got some money to work with and we'll still have money coming in. And we definitely do want to spend our money wisely and go for the safety features."
Hays said the local projects may be slowed, but will not be stopped.
Jacobs, who at the last commission meeting questioned the need for a regional airport, said he still had a concern. That was in spite of his vote in favor of the motion to give the money.
"The only thing I'm concerned about, if this one step passes, then the next step will take place," said Jacobs. He said he feared there would be continued requests for funding. "I think they'll dig into it every year until this thing is complete. And if I read (city council member) Roger Breeding right, he said it doesn't make any difference to him...he feels this airport is immaterial."
At the city council meeting, Breeding said he believed the real reason for the local projects was to tie up money which should go to the regional airport. He concluded by saying, "I just don't understand continuing to spend the taxpayers' dollars on something that is going to wind up being a crop duster strip."
However, commission members have expressed a belief that the Forrest City airport should remain viable. Hays insisted that the local airport was continuing with projects. He said he can't go to town without people stopping him and asking what's happening with the airport. He said while not many people are opposed to a regional airport, many are opposed to closing the Forrest City facility.
If a regional airport becomes a reality, the Wynne and Forrest City airports would be sold.
Jacobs said his feedback was different.
"At McDonald's the other day I got some feedback...The general people in this area, including Wynne, they expressed specifically to me they're not interested in the thing and they don't want the regional airport," he said. "They say it's money wasted. Now, that's the message they've given me."
Wroten responded, "Hindsight is 20-20, Homer...If we had gone on through with that (the extension of the existing runway), this would have been a regional airport."
Wroten was referring to plans several years ago to extend the existing Forrest City runway, which ran into stiff opposition from area landowners, particularly at a vocal public meeting.
An Arkansas National Guardsman from Hazen killed in a Saturday attack in Iraq was an employee at the Federal Correctional InstitutionForrest City.
According to a story from the Associated Press, Staff Sgt. Stacey C. Brandon, 35, of Hazen, was one of four soldiers in Arkansas' 39th Infantry Brigade based in Taji, just north of Baghdad, that were killed Saturday after a rocket attack on their base. Two 57mm rockets slammed into the base at around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Air Force Lt. Col. Sam Hudspath told The Associated Press. The base is home to the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division, served by 3,000 members from the 47 Arkansas units of the 39th.
Brandon was born in Kingsland and recently lived in White Hall until he and his wife, April, moved to Hazen, the home base of the 39th Infantry Brigade. Frank Lightfoot of White Hall, a family friend, said Brandon was a prison guard for the Arkansas Department of Correction and later worked at the federal prison in Forrest City.
''He was a very outstanding young man whose loss will affect a lot of people,'' Lightfoot said. ''He was one of the young people you could admire.''
The three other soldiers who died Saturday are Capt. Arthur ''Bo'' Felder, 36, of Lewisville; Chief Warrant Officer Patrick W. Kordsmeier, 49, of North Little Rock; and Staff Sgt. Billy Joe Orton, 41, of Humnoke.
A fifth Arkansas soldier who died in a second weekend attack has been identified as Spc. Kenneth A. Melton of Batesville, who was killed when a roadside bomb detonated near Sadr City. Melton, 30, was traveling as part of a protection team with battalion leaders when the bomb exploded, according to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Amy Schlesing, who is embedded with the brigade, stationed at Camp Cooke, Iraq.
The bomb exploded about 9:30 a.m. in a Baghdad intersection where several explosive devices have been detonated since the occupation began.
Westbrook Funeral Home in Hazen is making funeral arrangements
for both Brandon and Orton, although dates and times have not
been set.
Saturday rains may have led to the death of a 48-year-old Collierville, Tenn., man killed this weekend in a four-vehicle accident on Interstate 40 near Forrest City.
Arkansas State Police Troop D in Forrest City reported Dong Lim, 48, of Collierville, Tenn., died on impact Saturday after the driver of a 2003 GMC Yukon he was traveling in lost control at the 244 mile marker east of Forrest City.
According to the report, the Yukon, which was driven by Shin Park, 41, also of Collierville, was traveling eastbound on I-40 when Park lost control of the vehicle, striking a 2003 Freightliner driven by Robert L. Davis, no age given, of Kings Mountain, N.C. The Park vehicle then crossed the median and hit a westbound 2005 Dodge Caravan driven by, Juan Espinoza, 19, of Mexico and a 2001 Honda Accord driven by John Pittman, 61, of Broken Arrow, Okla.
Espinoza, Pittman and four other passengers involved in the accident were transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City. The others injured were Shin Park, Diana Pittman, 59, of Broken Arrow, Okla., and two children, Phillip Lim, 15, and David Park, 12, both of Collierville, Tenn. David Park was transported to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis where he is listed in good condition. The remaining injured were treated and released from BMH-FC on Saturday.
The Forrest City Cyber Cafe will be the setting for a workshop on economic literacy and financial planning, on Saturday, May 15.
The time will be from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The Cyber Cafe is located at 500 S. Rosser Street in Forrest City.
This workshop is being sponsored by the Arkansas Human Development Corp., in partnership with USDA Rural Development and the St. Francis County Community Development Corp.
The workshop is free. The goal is to assist people in managing their personal finances effectively.
Topics to be covered include goal setting, financial planning, personal budgeting, savings and investing and using credit cards wisely.
Lunch will be provided.
For more information, contact Kathleen Dordies or Kamylle Stegall at (870) 630-9131