By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The preliminary plat on a proposed housing development for Forrest City will be reviewed by an urban planning specialist before it could be sent back to the city council.
Members of the city's planning commission on Tuesday agreed to allow James vonTungeln, with Urban Planning Associates in Little Rock, to review the plat for Meadowbrook Park.
The city council reviewed the proposal earlier this month, but instead of approving it, agreed to form a committee to research existing projects done by Arkansas Land and Farm Development, the firm proposing the Meadowbrook Park construction. That committee has not yet been formed.
"I think in all of my years on the planning commission this is the first conceptual master plan that I have seen," said Commission Chairman Danny Capps.
Project engineer Mark Rickett explained to commissioners that he was of the understanding that his organization needed to provide a conceptual drawing of the master plan for the plat to be approved.
Capps then asked how close the plan came to describing the finished product.
"It is exactly what we plan to do," said J.D. Davis of the ALFDC. "We plan to build a church and community center if things fall into place. We plan to build upscale houses on the other lots ( just to the north of the Ophelia, Martin Luther King location). But those are our plans." The plans presented also included two soccer fields, two basketball courts and a lake.
Commissioners also reviewed a petition with 104 signatures of residents claiming to live in Ward 1, in which the 40-unit project would be located. The petition was against the development.
Capps questioned Davis about the petition. "Do you feel that the people who signed the petition are uninformed about this issue or do you feel they are really opposed to it?"
"I think I could get 104 signatures that state that they are in favor of this," responded Davis. "We are trying to provide these people with affordable housing and help them own their own home, that is the American dream."
Commissioner Ken Patterson stated that since last month's meeting, when the commission approved the preliminary plat for the project, he had received many phone calls. "I have had more people call me on this than any other issue this commission has ever faced," said Patterson. "Many of those phone calls have come from rental property owners who are against this and concerned that this will suck out their tenants."
Calvin King, also of the ALFDC, responded to Patterson's concerns. "Competition in rental property will always exist. Competition will come from both inside the city and outside of it. If you want to maintain your population, you must have competition for housing. Rental properties will always have a market, and there will always be rental housing. We are trying to help people own their own homes and maintain the population in the ward.
"There are three steps to what we are trying to do here in Forrest City," added King. "There is rental, ownership and rehabilitation and refurbish. We want to develop good clean rental property, help people in the ownership of their homes and rehabilitate and refurbish existing housing that is run down."
After much discussion, it was decided by a unanimous vote that the issue would be sent to vonTungeln to make sure that the plans meet all city codes and regulations. Included in that motion was that the commission would allow vonTunglin's decision on the plat to determine if the issue would again be presented to the city council.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Because of a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine and expected numbers of people wanting the vaccine, the Arkansas Department of Health has set one day for all the shots to be given.
Every ADH clinic in the state will give shots on Wednesday, Nov. 3, beginning at 8 a.m., according to a press release.
In St. Francis County, the shots will be given at the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds. Contacted this morning, Bonnie Dodson, head of the local Health Unit, said, "We had to have a place where we could manage a large group of folks."
According to the press release from the state, the St. Francis County unit will have 630 adult doses, and 80 preservative-free pediatric doses available.
According to the press release, the shot clinics in each county will open at 8 a.m. with no exceptions. The clinics will operate until the vaccine runs out, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Only people in one of the groups considered at high risk are supposed to receive the shots. Persons qualified to receive the vaccine under Medicaid or Medicare must bring appropriate documentation to the clinic. It is recommended that people getting shots wear short-sleeved shirts, to make it easier to reach the upper arm for the shot.
According to the press release, those not in a high-risk group will not be eligible for the vaccine.
Last year, the ADH initially distributed 160,000 doses of flu vaccine and later received several thousand more. This season, ADH received around 114,000 doses. Of those, 58,860 adult doses and 7,350 pediatric doses are going to the county health units.
The rest has been sent to nursing homes across the state, in compliance with an Arkansas law requiring that flu shots be provided to nursing home residents and employees.
Groups considered high-risk include:
*People 65 years of age and older.
*Children ages 6 months through 23 months.
*Adults and children 2 years of age and older with chronic lung or heart disorders, including heart disease and asthma.
*Pregnant women.
*Adults and children 2 years of age and older with chronic metabolic diseases including diabetes, or kidney diseases, blood disorders such a sickle cell anemia or weakened immune systems.
*Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
*Children and teenagers aged 6 months to 18 years who take aspirin daily.
*Health care workers involved in direct, hands-on care to patients.
*Household members and out-of-home caregivers of infants under the age of 6 months.
Some people should not receive the influenza vaccine for health reasons. These include persons with severe allergy to chicken eggs and those who may have experienced the onset of Guillain-Barre syndrome during a six-week period after a previous shot.
According to the press release, the ADH and the state Attorney General's office to alert consumers and health providers about vaccine pricing and source concerns. To report suspicious pricing or vaccine sources, call 501-682-2341 or 800-482-8982.
The U.S. Government recently froze sales of vaccine from Chiron Corp., a firm in the United Kingdom, one of two companies which was providing flu vaccine to the U.S. British officials have since revoked the company's license, over safety concerns.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Starting tomorrow, a new federal law will go into effect that will likely change the way checking accounts work and how money changes hands when a check is written.
Attorney General Mike Beebe's office has issued a press release on the law, called "Check 21," which provides that digital copies of checks will, under law, have the same validity as paper checks.
"It will reduce, or in some cases eliminate, the length of time between the point you write a check and when the funds leave your account," Beebe said. "This law allows your check to be handled electronically once it has been received, and just like a debit card payment, funds may be immediately drawn from your account."
Beebe also said the act authorizes the creation of a "substitute check" that has been imaged from the original paper version presented to the clearing bank. It has the same legal status for proof of payment as an original check.
Officials with four banks in Forrest City offered comments as to how this change may affect their customers.
Forrest City Bank president Dwight Rutland stated, as did all officials interviewed, that brochures had been mailed with customers' statements explaining the law and the benefits to both the financial institution and the customers.
"This change is like any other," said Rutland. "People don't like change, but hopefully this will be a nonevent. Most banks have imaging now. There are Wal-Marts that have the system. They run the checks through and give them back to the customers after the image is taken. We feel this will benefit our customers in the future."
King Casbeer, president of Union Planters Bank in Forrest City, also stated that brochures were sent with statements to "explain the benefits to both the bank and customer. We want to let people know what those benefits are and how the system works."
Steve Horton, president of First National Bank of Wynne in Forrest City, said, "I don't think the consumer will see a changes due to the law. The time that it will take for checks to clear will be greatly reduced. You won't be able to write a check on Wednesday and hope it won't hit until after your payroll check clears on Friday. That is also determined by how many banks participate in this. The more banks that participate, the more that time will be reduced.
"The law says that we have to have the capability to accept electronic checks, not that we have to convert to the system," added Horton. "So if you write a check in , say California, and they sent it to us in Forrest City, that check could clear by that evening because we would have the ability to accept that electrically imaged check."
"The amount of floated checks will go down and will practically go away if banks participate in the electronic imaging system," stated Jim Hargraves, the executive vice president of First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas. "What the law does, is give the substitute checks the same legal standing as the original. The bank will no longer have the original paper copies of checks. The substitute checks are the legal equivalent to the originals. This law was passed because of the events of 9-11. The federal government saw a need to make check information available through electronic imaging because of the interruption of trains, planes and other transportation."
A release from the American Bankers Association states that some benefits to customers will include earlier access to funds, better protection from fraud, and if there is a problem with a substitute check, Check 21 requires that the bank recredit the account, pending an investigation.
The release from the attorney general's office urges customers to keep a close eye on the bank account. Beebe said it will be more difficult to cancel checks since there is less turnover time. With no more canceled checks, ask the bank for substitute checks. Also, watch the account closely and don't sign up for voluntary check truncation. According to the release, voluntary truncation means that you give up the right to have copies of the substitute checks returned to you.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Steve Hollowell and Danny Capps are the candidates for the Ward 3, Position 1 seat on the Forrest City City Council.
Hollowell, 51, is the incumbent. He lives at 1825 Montrose Drive and is a real estate broker. His telephone number is 633-0442. He is a graduate of Forrest City High School and attended Arkansas State University. He and his wife Eva have one son, Adam.
The challenger, Capps, is 52, and lives at 1 Forrest Cove. His phone number is 633-7478. He is in the dry cleaning, restaurant and real estate businesses. He graduated from a trade school in Louisville, Ky. He and his wife have two children, Jason and Sandy.
Each candidate was asked the same set of questions. No candidate got to see the questions beforehand.
1. What areas of Forrest City do you think need the most attention?
Hollowell: I think we need to, maybe, have some planning around the new bypass area. And possibly that is where we need to locate our fire substation. And basically we need to clean the city up, and that is every section in town.
Capps: In Forrest City as a while, I think economic development needs attention. I think the council needs to work with the Chamber of Commerce and the AIDC, and come up with some new ideas. Because what we're doing right now at the present is not good enough. We have the potential for growth but I don't think we are doing everything we need to be doing to promote that growth.
2. City council positions are two-year terms. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during the next two years?
Capps: First of all I would like to see us have a catering contract with the civic center. We should have had one in place before the old one expired. We need to improve the police department by hiring more officers. We need to build the Humane Shelter that the council has discussed and approved and still has not broken ground on yet. I think the council needs to talk to other city departments and get their input on how to improve those departments.
Hollowell: I hope before the year's end we can get a caterer for the civic center and get the civic center up and running with a full fledged caterer and have that going. And I hope we can do maybe some infrastructure workaround the bypass, maybe some things that need to be done in that area. And I hope the police department could focus on some crime eradication, drug dealing, in the city and around the schools. Basically try to keep Forrest City a cleaner and more attractive place and hope new industry would look at that as a plus.
3. How would you work to move Forrest City forward?
Hollowell: With the new passage of the transfer of the sales tax for economic development, I think the city needs to work with the chamber in industrial recruitment and whoever the new director is, to create some additional jobs in Forrest City.
Capps: I think the city council and mayor's duties as a whole are to provide the best city services possible for the citizens that the budget will allow them to do -- fire department, police department, street department, sanitation, and the civic center falls in there, recreation falls in there and the Humane Society falls in there. That's what I would do, but I would also want to see the council and mayor also work toward the same goals.
4. What do you think is the most urgent issue facing Forrest City?
Capps: I would say the most urgent issues are the infrastructure, and to improve Forrest City's police department and to be representative of the citizens of the city, not just one segment but the whole population of the city, to represent them the best that the council and mayor possibly could.
Hollowell: Economic development and creation of new jobs would be the most pressing.
5. To which city commission would you like to be appointed? Why?
Hollowell: I guess I would have to say the Civic Center Commission. It seems to be the commission that has the most trouble doing any work, getting the job done. So I think that appointment would be the best, although I would generally be in favor of abolishing the Civic Center Commission and just letting the city council handle the civic center.
Capps: I would like to be appointed to the Police Committee, just from my exposure to the police department as far as answering alarms at one of the businesses at two in the morning, and there only being three policemen protecting the city. I'd like to see things change in the police department to improve the safety of the citizens.
6. If elected, how would you communicate with the citizens of your ward?
Capps: I will be there to discuss any problem that might arise that the people in Ward 3 might want to discuss with me. My wife and I have been in business 29 years. We make a payroll every week. We have 13 employees. When one of the employees has a problem we try to communicate with them. And it's important whether you are a city council member or a business owner to be able to communicate.
Hollowell: Of course, as in the last couple of years, I'm available by phone any way anybody wants to talk to me.
7. Why are you the best candidate for the job?
Hollowell: I have a couple years of experience being a council member. And I have been in on the budgeting of a couple of years and I've seen a few of the problems with certain commissions that are ineffective. I know which ones are working. And I've been civic minded and involved in other civic organizations and have experience with other commissions and boards.
Capps: I touched on that in the previous question. I have been in business for nearly 30 years. I've been very active in civic organizations and still am. I'm a church-going, God-fearing person who feels that everyone who is a citizen of the city should be treated with respect and if they have any problems or questions they should be addressed. I'll represent everyone in Ward 3 and I'd also like to represent the city as a whole as a member of the council.
Early voting at the St. Francis County Clerk's office has surpassed 1,800 votes. As of this morning, 1,860 voters had cast early votes for local, state and national races.
Voting will continue Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. The last day to early vote will be Monday, Nov. 1.
Five people have been arrested in Tennessee, in connection with the recent theft of a pickup truck in St. Francis County.
On Oct. 15, it was reported that a 1996 GMC pickup had been stolen from Ron Hall's farm shop.
According to the St. Francis County Sheriff's office, five people were arrested with the truck, in the early morning hours of Oct. 19, in Smith County, Tenn.
Arrested were: Patrick Clay Epps, 41, of Bluefield, W.V.; Tremayne Lee, 21, of Bluefield, W.V.; Kevin J. White 23, of Albany, N.Y.; Latoyo, Tequila Owens, 22, of Richmond, Va.; and Dawn Epps, 18, of Bluefield, W.V.
The five were to appear in court today.
The St. Francis County Food Pantry is in desperate need of donations, according to founder Catherine Freeman.
"We are broke, honey," said Freeman this morning, who added that the holiday season is fast approaching.
"We aren't going to be able to help anybody if there's no money coming in," she said. "We don't have one red cent. We are absolutely broke."
Freeman made a special appeal to local churches.
People wishing to bring donations to the pantry may drop them off at 126 S. Water Street. Donations may be mailed to 122 S. Water Street, Forrest City, AR 72335.