By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Airport Commission on Monday discussed the increasing cost of the studies being made for the proposed regional airport between Forrest City and Wynne.
At the Aug. 17 city council meeting, Mike Stengel, senior design engineer with Garver Inc., an engineering firm hired by the Delta Regional Airport Authority to do the site selection, master plan and environmental assessment, told the council that the cost had increased.
The airport commissions of both Forrest City and Wynne had already voted to give $115,000 each from their Federal Aviation Administration entitlement funds. Stengel told the council more was needed. The total figure used Aug. 17 was $148,500. The figure shown Monday to the airport commission, in a letter from the FAA, was $141,075.
Bill Hays, chairman of the airport commission, admitted it was not unexpected that more money was wanted.
"Since we last met, the FAA has come back, and as some of you predicted, they want more money," said Hays. "We authorized $115,000, and they now feel that it is going to take $141,075 (each from Forrest City and Wynne) to do the work. Their (original) figure came up short."
He said that as chairman, he agreed to the increased amount.
"This does not mean that they've taken all of our money at all," said Hays, adding that there was still money on hand to do projects already approved.
Homer Jacobs said there was not enough money to do the runway improvements.
"I'm a little bit disappointed in the way we're progressing in our airport projects," said Jacobs.
Hays said that controversy over the runway length was a bigger issue than money. He said "people who know what they're doing" have no problem landing at the Forrest City airport.
Jacobs said he felt that the regional airport would probably become a reality someday, and said big projects would probably not be funded at the local facility.
"The long term expectations...(is to) just do minimal stuff (at the Forrest City airport) and leave the runway alone, because we're going to close this thing down in 15 to 20 years. It may not be that long," he said.
"We'll just have to do the best we can with what we have," said Hays. He pointed out that new runway lights are being installed at the airport, and a new security fence is in the process of being built.
Hays also said the commission might be thinking about some new projects to improve the airport, because until a regional airport is built -- if it is built -- the local airport needs to be maintained.
"I feel, in time, the regional airport will be built.
Now, how far in the future, I have no idea about that," Hays
said. "But it does appear to be going forward. It's a slow
process. And in the meantime, we need, out of necessity, to keep
the Forrest City airport up, in good shape and well maintained."
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Achieving a quorum for the first time since July, the Forrest City Civic Center Commission meet Monday, discussing the condition and appearance of the facility.
Members in attendance were commission chair Delores Morelon, along with Marcus Freeman, Shirley Harvell, Willie Ann Ford and Lois Walker.
Morelon began by asking Raymond Stewart, the civic center building manager, for an update on the condition of the property.
"The new heating and air unit is in," said Stewart. "They had to go in and replace the heating pipes at the same time. The emergency generator is also up and running. It will only provide electric power to the big room, club room and bathrooms. It will also run the heat. We have begun painting on the outside and will start soon indoors."
Morelon asked about the condition of the tables and chairs in the center.
"Do we have tables that are needing to be replaced?," she asked. "I have heard some complaints that a lot of our tables are broken or beat up. I don't know personally, but that is what people have told me."
Stewart stated that he felt that of the 130 tables in the center, about 75 need to be replaced. He also said that in his opinion, only about four or five of the 1,180 chairs need to be replaced.
Freeman stated that he felt that more table caddies would reduce the amount of wear and tear on the tables.
"We continue to raise rates and we don't do any improvements," said Morelon. "We have to do some refurbishing. People are paying more for the same old stuff. We are in a position now that other cities in the area have new centers that are in competition with us. Everyone likes something that is new. If we need to, we could hold a rummage sale and sell them for a dollar each."
Harvell took issue with the statement about rate increases. "We have not increased our rates since 2002," said Harvell. "And we don't have our own budget, so when we need something, we have to ask for it. The public does say that we increase our rates, but we haven't done that for two years."
"I know when the last rate increase was, but it is important to improve the center," added Morelon. "Anything that we do is just a recommendation to the city council. Maybe I worded it wrong, but we need to address this. There are several other things. We need brass plaques on the rooms. As many times as I have been here, I still get lost and can't find rooms. We need a beautification effort, landscaping and foliage."
The commission agreed to make up a "wish list" of projects to present to the city council.
On another topic, Harvell stated that a request of an update including a calendar of events, expenditures and other items, was given to Forrest City City Council member Steve Hollowell. Hollowell confirmed that he did receive the requested information, but would like to have a monthly update.
"I don't see why we would have to provide you with that," said Harvell. "It is public information open to anyone. Since you are on the city council, I don't see why you couldn't just go by the Mayor's office and get a copy for yourself each month."
Before adjourning, Glynis Lewis, the secretary of the commission,
stated that while Mayor Larry Bryant had stated that he would
send a copy of the new catering contract to the members for their
approval, she was not given one. According to both Morelon and
Harvell, all "large ticket" purchases will be put on
hold until the commission approves the contract, per request of
Bryant. The possibility of holding a called meeting was discussed
briefly, but no date was announced.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Homeowners in the city of Madison can expect a letter and visit from members of the city's fire department after council members agreed Monday to authorize firemen to notify residents of the need for larger, more visible numbers on homes.
Madison Fire Chief Stanley Anderson told councilmen during their regular monthly meeting that something needs to be done due to the difficulty emergency personnel are having in finding homes.
"This is a concern for us every year, and we really need something done about it. We're asking that homeowners be required to put four-inch numbers on their homes. If the homes are dark in color, then we need for those numbers to be reflective," Anderson said.
According to Anderson, numbers that are difficult to see cost emergency personnel precious time. "This is something that is really serious because if we're spending time looking for a house and we're passing it because we can't see a number, then a situation that is already bad is getting worse. We need people to understand that," he said.
Anderson told council members that he would have a letter prepared that will be delivered by members of the fire department to homeowners. Anderson also said that firefighters will assist any elderly residents who need numbers placed on their homes.
While the council was discussing the need for new numbers, city inspector Larry Knowlton also mentioned the need for more street signs in the city.
"For those of us that are from Madison, we pretty much know where the streets are, but we need to remember that not everyone is from Madison, and it causes some confusion. Last week, I saw an ambulance driver who could not find a home because there was no street sign and that was combined with the numbers that are difficult to read," Knowlton said.
Madison Mayor James Brooks told council members he would check into the cost for purchasing more signs for the city.
In other business, Brooks told the council that he, along with Knowlton and Anderson who serve as city inspectors, is looking into removing some of the loopholes in the city's current building code laws. According to Brooks, changes to the laws are necessary to shorten the time allowed for people not in compliance with city codes to work on their property.
"We're just looking at making our code enforcement more aggressive. We want to tighten up the laws so that we can speed up the process and get the needed repairs made to the property," Brooks said.
Council members voted Monday to revoke a business permit granted to a man just two months ago. By a unanimous vote, the council voted to revoke the permit granted in July to Billy Allen due to unlicensed practices allegedly taking place at his business. The council voted in July to grant Allen a permit to open a gaming room which he said would cater to young adults.
"I haven't seen any teenagers down there, and I really haven't seen anyone down there during the daytime," said Brooks.
According to a Madison Police Officer, the business was operating as a carwash and patrons were doing "whatever grown folks do."
The council also agreed to send Knowlton and Anderson to inspect
a road in the Goss Heights neighborhood. A resident of the area
complained to council members about the condition of the road
and Anderson told council members that heavy water on the road
would make it difficult for any repairs to take place. Anderson
also told the council that in the past, the water had been diverted
to keep it from damaging the roads, but the ditch previously used
had been filled.
A federal indictment against a Wynne man who was arrested in June for allegedly threatening an agent of the Internal Revenue Service has been dismissed.
The indictment against William Lytle, 54, was dismissed Monday in Little Rock at the request of Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ray White.
The indictment was handed down against Lytle on June 2, at which time Lytle was charged with "threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer with intent to impede, intimidate or interfere with such law enforcement officer while engaged in the performance of his duties and with the intent to retaliate against such law enforcement officer on the account of the performance of his official duties," according to court records.
In June, U.S. Attorney H.E. "Bud" Cummins said the charges against Lytle stemmed from Sthreats he reportedly made in regards to an IRS agent. "Mr. Lytle threatened an agent of the Internal Revenue Service and others to a third person which were reported to the IRS. Due to those threats, a federal indictment was handed down," Cummins said.
However, White wrote in his motion to dismiss the indictment that "based on information that has become available since the defendant's arraignment, the United States requests to dismiss the indictment."
The motion to dismiss the indictment was filed Friday, and
was granted by a federal judge on Monday.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The Colt Fire Department is moving closer to installing an additional bay after finding out they have enough money to build a pole barn structure.
CFD Chief Jim Haynes said several contacts have been made with companies which could supply the material for the new building, and they are currently waiting on blueprints of the existing facility before giving a presentation to the department.
"We've talked to a lot of companies, but we've run into some problems in that they want blueprints of our existing fire department before they give us any answers," Haynes said. "They want to make sure that all of the fittings are correct and everything will go well in construction because we (the members of the fire department) will be doing all of the construction. Once I started talking to them and some local contractors, I agree that it is best that we get a blueprint so that we make sure that everything fits correctly and we don't end up with a big mess," Haynes told councilmen.
According to Haynes, the volunteer firefighters will take care of wiring the new building along with installing plumbing. City manager Bobby Clarkson told council members that current volunteers with the department include a licensed plumber and electrician.
Following a suggestion from Haynes, council members voted to reduce the price for controlled burning outside the city limits. The new rate for controlled burns of dilapidated homes will now be $175, half of the $350 price tag for use of the fire department outside of the city of Colt.
"We have been charging people who live outside of Colt $350 if they call us and ask us to come out and burn down a house for them. The problem is that those people really have no incentive to call us because if they start the fire themselves and we're called in because the fire gets out of control they still have a $350 charge that they have to pay. If the price is reduced, then maybe some of those folks will call the department and have us come out and do this for them. Plus, when we do this, we give our department an opportunity for training that we might not normally get," Haynes said.
Council members also heard first reading on a proposed ordinance
on transient businesses. The ordinance has undergone several changes.
Councilmen also heard first reading on an amendment to an ordinance
governing grease traps at Colt restaurants.
The first Professor Pigskin tiebreaker of the 2004 football season goes to Tiffany Billingsley, who emerged as this week's $50 winner.
Billingsley was locked in a five-way tie with Linda Smith, Eugene Pryor, R.C. Taylor and Paul Clark, all of Forrest City. Each one had missed just four of the selected high school, college and NFL games.
In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker game comes into play, and this week it was the Arkansas-Texas game. Each entrant must make a guess at the final score of the tiebreaker game and the one person coming closest to the final winning margin is named the winner.
Billingsley had Texas picked to win 27-18 which put her the closest to the actual final score which was Texas 22, Arkansas 20.
This week's selection of Pigskin picks can be found inside today's Times-Herald.
Candidates in the November General Election will draw for ballot positions either this afternoon or Wednesday when the St. Francis County Election Commission meets in separate meetings at the St. Francis County Courthouse.
According to commission member Bettye Proctor, ballot positions were expected to be drawn at both meetings, with one being held this afternoon and the other set for 1 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting will be held in the election commission's office near the breezeway in the courthouse.
Early voting is moving along, with 395 ballots cast already for various school board positions throughout St. Francis County.
Anyone interested in casting an early vote may stop by the vault in the St. Francis County Clerk's office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The school board election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 21, from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Two apparently unrelated burglaries were reported to the Forrest City Police on Monday.
One took place at a building at the Forrest City landfill on Ark. Highway 334. Employee Leonard Sellers reported that he left the landfill at 3:45 p.m. Friday, and when he returned Monday, someone had been inside the building. A window had been broken and the security bar had been broken off the window. Several items were taken.
Also on Monday, it was reported that someone had entered Radio Shack at 955 N. Washington, apparently through a garage door. Some items were stolen.
Both incidents are being investigated.