By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Several members of the city council on Thursday heard an explanation of why the Forrest City Water Utility feels it needs a rate increase.
Jim Beazley, manager of the utility, provided numerous copies of a planning report.
"What got us into this, is something that we've been discussing for a couple of years," said Beazley. "I guess you've all heard that the aquifer we get our water from is getting lower and lower...Actually, it's not going to go dry, but it's going to give us some problems."
Currently, Forrest City gets its water from the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, usually simply referred to as the Alluvial Aquifer. Beazley said the aquifer is lowering at a rate of about one foot per year in this area. And while he said he doesn't think the aquifer will go dry, he said that as the water level gets lower, quality can be affected.
He also said that the wells used by the Water Utility create "cones of depression," where water levels are drastically reduced in the area of the wells. This can cause the metal screens at the bottom of the wells to be exposed to air, which can result in corrosion, which in turn can cause a well to fail.
According to Beasley, one way to alleviate the cones of depression is to pump less water out of each well. This in turn reduces capacity, which means more wells are needed, which means more expense.
Also, he said long-range plans need to be made, just in case the city is forced to go to a deeper aquifer, such as the Sparta Aquifer or the Memphis Sands Aquifer. Both aquifers have plentiful water, but both also contain iron, which may require the building of a new treatment plant.
Beazley also said a new large main is needed from Martin Luther King to about Forrest and Garland streets to boost flow.
He said the big problem with all this is revenue. Expenses are going up, while water use for residential customers has actually gone down since 1980. He said commercial use has also declined since 1980, if the federal prison and Boar's Head are not counted.
Beazley said the following things are needed: Pinch valves and meters for six wells at a cost of $60,000; the 16-inch main at a cost of $750,000; a study to locate new potential well sites, $150,000; one new well at the so-called southwest site (near the prison) $125,000; three new wells at Water Plant 1 (near Sanyo); one eight-inch main, $275,000. The total is roughly $1.7 million.
He said the Water Plant 2 site, on North Division, cannot support another well.
Beazley said it is hoped a new water treatment plant will not be necessary until the present bonds are paid out, in 2012. He said for the plans as he presented them to the council members, about $270,723 a year will be needed over a five-year period.
The bottom line for customers would be as follows, if the recommendation by the water commissioners is followed:
The base customer charge for water would go from $5 to $10 a month. For commercial it would go from $7 to $10 a month. The basic charge would also go from $5 to $10 a month for customers outside the city.
The per-unit charge, with one unit equaling 100 cubic feet (or about 750 gallons) would increase from $1 to $1.10 for both residential and commercial customers, and from $1.25 to $1.35 for customers outside of town.
Sewer rates would also increase, from $1 to $1.25 per unit for residential. Commercial rates would be based on the amount of usage.
Beazley provided examples of what the increase might mean to residential customers who live within Forrest City. A household which uses 8 units in a month, which he said is about the average, would see its water charges go from $21 to $28.80. A household which uses 30 units would see its water charges go from $65 to $80.50.
No action was taken Thursday. Mayor Larry Bryant suggested that the council members present (Cecil Twillie, Louise Fields and Roy Hancock, along with Bryant and City Attorney Alan Cline), take home the planning reports and study them. He said efforts would be made to get copies of the plan to council members who were not present.
He also said the suggested rates were not set in stone, and said the city council may decide to step in and pay for some, if not all, of the proposed projects.
Several separate drug arrests were made Thursday, including one case in which police interrupted an alleged drug deal near a public school facility.
About noon Thursday, officers with the criminal investigation division of the Forrest City Police Department reportedly observed Brock Owens, 39, of Wynne, sitting inside his vehicle on the parking lot at Freeman's Grocery on West Broadway.
According to the report, officers recognized Owens from an earlier report he had filed regarding his wallet being stolen while he was at the Shell Superstop.
After encouraging Owens to "move on" because he did not appear to be doing business at Freeman's, police watched the subject as he drove around the building and talked with Clyde Hamilton Sr., 48, of Colt. The two men then attempted to drive away in Owens' vehicle, which was stopped on North Water Street in front of Lincoln Middle School. Hamilton allegedly told police he and Owens were in the area trying to buy cocaine.
While searching Owens and Hamilton, police found a crack pipe and crack cocaine. Officers recovered 1.2 grams of crack cocaine, with an approximate street value of $120.
Both men are charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver near certain facilities (Lincoln Middle School) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Three people were arrested when officers executed a search warrant at an apartment on Tennessee Street about 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Officers searched the residence at 314 Tennessee St., Apt. 5A, which was shared by Donna Faye Baker, 23, and Kim Lamb III, 27. During the search, police seized about 37.5 grams of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $235, along with $2,330 in cash.
Baker, Lamb and Kris Lamb, 21, of Caldwell, were all taken into custody and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver near certain facilities, possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. A small child inside the house was turned over to a family member.
According to the police report, a day care facility is located across the street, and the apartment is also within 1,000 feet of the Forrest City Junior High School and the New Bethel Church on North Izard Street. Each facility is defined in the Arkansas Criminal Code as "certain facilites," which calls for enhanced penalties during sentencing.
Baker was also arrested on a failure to comply warrant out of St. Francis County District Court.
The third drug case on Thursday occurred when police responding to a call regarding a fight outside a public housing residence found drugs on one of the subjects allegedly involved in the fight.
According to the police report, about 10:35 p.m., police were called to the Rice Street Housing Authority in reference to a fight, and when officers arrived, they saw several people fighting. All but one of those, Bertrell Randle, 22, 602 N. Gorman St., fled the scene upon seeing the police.
A routine background check on Randle revealed he was wanted on a failure to appear warrant out of District Court. A subsequent search revealed 9.5 grams of marijuana, with an estimated $60 street value, and .2 grams of crack cocaine, with an estimated $20 street value.
In addition to the failure to appear charge, Randle is also charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver near certain facilities.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
For St. Francis County Sheriff and Collector Dave Parkman, Tuesday's General Election will mean a second challenger for his office this year. Parkman will face off in Tuesday's election against Forrest City Police Officer John Heckler.
Parkman is the father of three and the grandfather of six. He is a graduate of Cross County High School and is seeking his 10th term as St. Francis County Sheriff. He has spent several years working in law enforcement and served as a Forrest City Police Officer and the Chief of Police prior to becoming the Sheriff. Parkman is the widower of Irene Barnes Parkman.
Heckler, an officer with the Forrest City Police Department, is in his ninth year as a law enforcement officer and his fifth with the FCPD. He is a resident of Colt and attended East Arkansas Community College. He graduated from Manzano High School in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1976 and received his certification from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in 1999.
Heckler is the husband of Donna Heckler and the father of two, Kayla and James.
1. If elected, what changes would you make to this office?
Parkman: Well, honestly I don't foresee any changes to the department. We have always been about service to the community and we will continue to give them the best service available. I will also continue with the open door policy that I've always had. That gives people the opportunity to come up here and talk to us about any problems and it let's them know that we'll be here for them.
Heckler: I would make sure that we had more deputies out on patrol throughout the county and start more training so that we can bring our deputies up to date and up to standards. We've also got to get everyone on the same page.
My main concern though is increasing the departments presence on the county roads instead of hanging out here in Forrest City and Colt. If I am elected, the deputies will patrol the county neighborhoods and I will make sure that everyone that has a badge and gun have the proper credentials to go along with them.
2. In your opinion, what services need improvements?
Heckler: Well our Search and Rescue needs to be updated and there needs to be more training for them. We need to also have a program where we will keep an eye on people's homes when they are out of town. We just have to increase the visibility of the Sheriff's Department because if the people see deputies out there, they know they'll be there when they're needed.
Parkman: The main thing that I would like to see improved upon is the number of deputies, but unfortunately we just don't have the resources to do so. The biggest area is definitely the number of deputies that we have out there but right now we just can't hire anyone with the resources currently available.
3. What do you think is the most urgent issue facing counties today, St. Francis County in particular?
Parkman: It's an old story and one we've all heard, but we have to go back to the problems with drugs and crystal methamphetamine in particular. That drug is ravaging families and destroying the lives of so many people in this area and it's difficult to control. We're working to try to cut into the problem, but we need the help of the public to win this fight.
Methamphetamine is without a doubt the biggest issue we're facing because it leads to problems in other areas. The meth problem leads to thefts and burglaries and the entire list of crime. Law enforcement alone cannot beat this thing. But with the help of the citizens, eventually we may be able to beat this.
Heckler: The drug problem is without a doubt a major problem in this county and in this nation. As law enforcement officers all of the deputies have been trained to notice certain things and that's why I feel training is so important. I don't understand why one man is doing a job that should be the job of entire department. The drugs lead to break-ins and thefts and many other areas of crime.
4. How will the Highway 1 bypass and the possible Bell Enterprises project and Transportation Mall project effect the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department?
Heckler: Well first off, I am for both of the projects because we need things that will create jobs in this county. If elected, I will work with the city not only on projects on the bypass, but in anything that they need. Right now the two departments don't work together but we're all law enforcement and should be working together.
Parkman: Well I know that with truck stops you can have a whole new set of problems, but personally I don't think that we'll have any problems. We're going to work closely with anyone that goes out there and builds and I'm excited about the development along the bypass. It's a great thing that has happened out there in that area for Forrest City and it's a great thing that's happening for St. Francis County. This will hopefully provide people with the some of the economic opportunities that we so desperately need in this area.
5. How would your election benefit the residents of St. Francis County?
Parkman: I know that I said it before, but the biggest benefit to my reelection will be the service to the community that this department provides. We've built everything on our service to the community and we appreciate the trust that the people have given us. I may wear the word service out, but it's important to me. The people know that they can trust us to be there when we're needed.
Heckler: My election would be beneficial to the citizens because I'm willing to do the job and the deputies that would be under me would be out there working to curb some of the problems in the county. I've heard complaints from people that it took deputies more than an hour to arrive at a scene and that's just not acceptable. I would make sure that people knew that the department would be there when called.
6. Why are you the best candidate for the job of St. Francis County Sheriff?
Heckler: I feel that I'm the best candidate for the job because I'm young, willing and able to do the job of sheriff. I feel that it's time for a change because the sheriff's department has become stagnant over the past few years. I can't say it enough that the people need to see the deputies patrol more and the citizens will be my top priority. People talk about wanting change all the time, so let's make a change. I will also be fair to everyone and make sure that everyone's concerns are heard, not just certain businesses and farms.
Parkman: Well, my longevity in law enforcement is a great asset and I have worked to get the trust of the people and keep their trust. People trust this department and know that we'll be there when they call.
I think that my experience qualifies me more for the job because I've been here for a number of years along with my deputies and we've seen the changes that have taken place and continued to give the best available service to the people of St. Francis County. We will continue to do that and that's why I feel I am the best man for the job.
With only a few days left for early voting, St. Francis County is expected to shatter the number of early ballots cast in the general election four years ago.
As of this morning, there had been 2,571 early ballots cast at the St. Francis County Clerk's office. In the 2000 general election, there were a combined total of 2,388 early and absentee ballots cast.
Early voting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, with the last day to early vote being Monday. The clerk's office will be open until 6 tonight and Monday for voting
The Forrest City City Council will meet on Thursday next week instead of Tuesday, due to the general election.
Councilmen will consider an ordinance to amend the curfew hours in the city.