Mustang pride will be on display Thursday evening as the homecoming parade kicks off from the Forrest City High School parking lot.
The FCHS Student Council and the FCHS Pride Committee have organized the parade, which will begin at 6 p.m.
Upon leaving the high school parking lot, the parade will travel east on Victoria Street to Division Street where it will turn south and travel one block to Graham Street where it will head east to the band practice field located behind the high school. A pep rally will be held immediately following the parade on the visitor's side at Sam Smith Stadium.
All of the schools in the FC School District are encouraged to decorate floats and be represented at the parade. Local residents are encouraged to line the parade route and show support for the Mustangs as they prepare to face Sylvan Hills at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Those attending the parade are asked to not park at the junior
high school parking lot due to a meeting that will be taking place
there Thursday night. Parking will be available at the high school
and near the band hall.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
St. Francis and Cross counties are being asked for $200,000 each to help support the relocation of a plant from California to Colt. A decision on that plant could be made in the next few weeks.
Randy Pearson, president of the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce, discussed the possibility of the new plant with members of the St. Francis County Quorum Court's budget committee Tuesday evening.
According to Pearson, the plant, which is reportedly looking at the former Rubatex building in Colt, along with a location in Texas, has focused its sights on Colt. Pearson said a verbal commitment has been received on a proposal submitted by the two local counties and the Arkansas Department of Economic Development.
In asking for the money to help finance the project, Pearson said an equal payment will come from Cross County, and the state has promised to match the funding from the counties and provide additional funding to secure the plant's location.
"They (the company) really liked the Colt facility because of the condition of the plant and the fact that it has 50 acres of land which will allow them to expand. They also like the location because there is a railroad spur right there which gives them access to the railway right there at the plant. This is something that is going to be a definite positive for the area because they are planning to employ 170 people in their first year with further plans for up to 300 jobs within three years," Pearson said.
Justices unanimously agreed that budget committee chairman Henry Wilkinson and St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco should work together to find the funding for the project.
In other business, justices voted to table discussion of a $1,000 incentive bonus for county employees until later in the year. Wilkinson told committee members that he could not recommend giving the bonus pay for a variety of reasons.
"I cannot support nor recommend the incentive bonus at this time. The number one reason is that it would cost this county more than $100,000, and you just heard the request from Mr. Pearson. Right now, unemployment in St. Francis County is above the average for the rest of the state, and it has been my experience that any time this country is recovering from a recession the state of Arkansas and Eastern Arkansas in general are the last to experience that recovery. After speaking with Judge Cisco last week, I found out that we're facing an increase in the insurance rates for county employees that we're going to have to budget for. The bottom line is that operating in 2005 is going to be lean for the county, and it is not the time to give a $1,000 bonus," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson also told committee members that any talk of incentive bonuses should come in December after a budget for next year has been completed.
Justice Evans Seawood told the committee that he could not foresee voting in favor of the incentive $1,000 incentive bonus at any time. "I have said before that I support the employees, but this time, I'm just going to have to make them mad. There is no way that I can vote for this $1,000 incentive pay. When you drive through Forrest City, you see the Yale and Towne building sitting there empty, and you see the Dixie Foods building sitting there empty. As the judge said, our unemployment is up across this county. I just cannot take the money from the taxpayers who are losing their jobs and give a $1,000 Christmas bonus to the employees of St. Francis County. I won't vote for it today; I won't vote for it in November, and I won't vote for it in December," said Seawood.
Similar sentiments were echoed by each member of the seven-man committee.
"I would love to sit here and be able to vote yes to giving the employees this $1,000 incentive, but if the money is not there for it, then it's just not there," said Williams.
St. Francis County Treasurer Ann Harbin told members of the personnel committee last week that the funds for the bonuses would come from the workman's compensation account. Harbin also told the committee that not all of the funding is from workman's comp dividends. She said that $17,890 of the $118,184.18 is actually from the dividend payment. The remaining funding, according to Harbin, is from gross revenue payments from the state. Harbin also told committee members that the payments have been used in the past to shore up the account to ensure that funding for the incentive payments would be available.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A vacant building owned by the county may be used to assist the local Head Start program.
Members of the St. Francis County Quorum Court's building and improvement committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to allow the Crowley's Ridge Development Council Head Start to use the recently vacated building just off of Kittle Road. The building was previously home to the St. Francis County Health Department and most recently the home of the St. Francis County Child Support Enforcement Unit.
Tracey Teal, chief of staff for County Judge Carl Cisco and a member of the Crowley's Ridge Development Council board of directors, said the building is needed after the Madison Head Start facility was recently ordered to close.
"We currently have two Head Start facilities in St. Francis County. One is in Forrest City and one is in Madison. The Madison facility was recently ordered to close after it failed a state inspection, and the CRDC needs to find a place for 20 to 25 children. They contacted me because I serve on the board and asked if we had any available space that might be used. That building came to mind and I told them that I would speak to the committee about the possibility of them using it," Teal said.
Teal also told committee members that the building would only be needed on a short-term basis, due to the recent purchase of property by the CRDC to house the Head Start program in the county.
"This is not something that is expected to be long term because the CRDC has already purchased a building south of Forrest City which was going to be the new child support office. They are in the process of renovating the building so that they can have it ready some time next year, but in the meantime, they need a facility for these kids," Teal said.
Justices voted unanimously to allow the CRDC to use the building, but did add that 30-day's notice would need to be given to the CRDC if the building is sold, which is in the county's plans. According to Cisco, an open-listing on the building has been submitted to local realtors.
Cisco also told committee members that a portion of the roof at the county jail has been repaired, but officials were still waiting for the second portion to be completed.
"We've got a portion of the jail completed, and right now we're still waiting on the contractor to begin on the portion that will have the foam. We're going to give him another week to 10 days to get started, but after that we may have to look at other options," Cisco said.
He also told the committee that the weekend rains revealed a new leak in the roof at the courthouse over St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith's office. According to Cisco, a roofing company has already been contacted to find the leak.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Hughes residents will soon be paying more for water and sewer, but the exact amount of the increase will not be determined until after a special city council meeting on Tuesday.
Mayor Donnie Mooney reminded councilmen Monday night that the city's water revenue has been declining consistently over the past four years. Mooney said the city's water account will soon drop below $5,000.
"We have been losing about $10,000 a year on the total amount in our water account in the last four years," said Mooney. "As of right now, we have a total of $10,000 in the water account. Out of that, we have a bill this month of $6,000. That will leave us with a starting balance for our new water budget on $4,000.
"We have been paying more out each year than we are getting in," said Mooney. "Something has to be done. Part of the reason that the revenue is down is because we have lost about 100 water customers in the past four years. Also, the housing developments don't use as much water as individual houses do. We have had many people move into housing developments in the past few years.
"I really hate to do this, especially to the people on fixed incomes, but we have to raise the rates. I don't know how much we need to raise them, but it has to be done quickly," Mooney stressed.
Councilmen will convene at city hall at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19 to discuss the amount of the rate increase.
Edward Watt, the executive director of the Hughes Community Development Council, who had requested a $4,000 grant from the council at its September meeting, addressed the council again on Monday. Watt's request for $4,000 was for electrical and water service for two buildings that he said would be used as a youth recreation center. In September, the council tabled the issue in order to review what assistance the city could legally and financially provide.
"I think we all decided last month that we did not have the funds to give you $4,000," said Mooney.
"You have done it in the past," responded Watt. "I have here a story that ran in the Times-Herald (in May of 2001). You gave $4,000 to Charles Jones Jr. to go to medical school. You (Mooney) are quoted, 'We are so proud of him.'"
City attorney Jerry Roberts joined the discussion. "The agreement requires him to come back to Hughes and practice medicine for four years here. In it's current form, this proposal doesn't cut legal mustard. This is a bare bones proposal that shows no known benefit to the city. The agreement with Charles Jones Jr. shows benefit to the city."
Councilman Ray Charles Robinson stated that he agreed with the idea of what Watt is trying to do and asked if they could budget the $4,000 for next year. Fellow councilman Rev. Malcolm Curne stated that he felt that the council should take the advice of the city attorney.
"I am not a lawyer, paralegal or anything like that," stated Curne. "That is what we hire him (Roberts) for. I feel that we should take his advice on this."
"And my advice is 'no' (to the proposal by Watt)," added Roberts.
No official action was taken on the matter.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Four provisional ballots that could not be read by the county's tabulating machine proved to be the difference in the race for the Palestine-Wheatley Zone 4 school board runoff held Tuesday.
Donald Cagle defeated Donald Story by a two-vote margin in voting Tuesday taking a 54-52 win. The race seemed headed for a coin flip after the tabulating of early votes, absentee votes and ballot boxes from Tuesday's race was completed with a 51-51 tie. According to Judy Armstrong, election coordinator, the four provisional ballots proved to be the difference.
"Everything was tied up again after we got done tabulating everything, but we had four ballots that could not be read by the machine. We hand counted those and the vote came back 3 to 1 in Cagle's favor," Armstrong said.
In absentee voting Cagle edged out Story taking by a 6-2 margin. Story took early voting tallies by a 5-3 margin leaving the voting in a dead heat. The tie remained after the Palestine box was recorded with both gentlemen taking 45 ballots each. St. Francis County Election Commissioner Bettye Proctor said that she did not feel that Story would be challenging the results of last night's election.
Village Creek State Park will be offering children horse rides and kettle corn on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 12 to 2 p.m.
Park personnel will be offering the hand-led rides in the parks corrals at the north campground for a fee of $3. All participants must wear a helmet, which will be provided by the park. Registration will be held at the visitor center of the park.
For more information about this event, contact VCSP at 870-238-9406.
The Forrest City Police Department has arrested a second Forrest City man for breaking into vehicles parked at the First Baptist Church on North Rosser St. in August.
According to a press release from the FCPD, 18-year old, Marcus Howard, of Forrest City, is facing charges of breaking and entering and theft over $500 in connection with the thefts. Howard was arrested Tuesday after officers were called to the Forrest City Wal-Mart concerning an attempt by three individuals to shoplift from the store. When officers arrived, Howard gave them a false name but was later identified.
On Aug. 4, the FCPD was called to First Baptist Church to investigate thefts from four vehicles which were parked at the church. Last month, officers arrested Sylester Moore, 19, 304 E. South St., Forrest City in connection with the thefts. Howard is scheduled to appear in St. Francis County District Court this afternoon.