DECATUR — Ed Smith, of Tulsa, appeared before the city council on Monday night to request that city water lines be extended to a private hunting and fishing club on Spavinaw Creek.

Smith said he was representing his grandson, Adam Maris, who is the owner of Spring Valley Anglers Rod and Gun Club and the Spring Valley Conservancy, a non-profit conservation and habitat renewal organization.

Maris owns 10 acres along the south side of Spavinaw Creek near Arkansas Highway 102 West, an area locally known as Rootville. He also leases land up and down the river from Highway 102 to Arkansas Highway 43, Smith told the council.

Maris hopes to obtain a government contract from the Department of Defense offering a retreat for the rehabilitation of disabled veterans who have recently returned from war, he said.

Research is finding that veterans progress much better in the fields and countryside than in an institution, Smith said. The program will bring veterans and their wives to the retreat for four days,along with a doctor, an assistant, two chaplains and three support staff. There are already several government programs of this type around the country in areas such as Florida, but there are currently no retreats in Arkansas or Oklahoma, Smith said.

Maris will be providing the fishing guides, lodging and transportation. He plans to build a five unit motel-type structure for private use and a three bedroom lodge for family use, Smith said.

It is “imperative” that the business has a public water source to obtain the government grants, Smith said. Maris plans to discontinue the use of the well on the property and connect all the existing and new structures on city water. City water is needed because property lines, the existing well and the stream restrict enlarging the sewage system to accomodate the new buildings, he explained.

Water lines will have to be extended more than a mile to reach the Spring Valley Anglers Rod and Gun Club, according to city utilities director James Boston. The lines would have to round several curves and cross a deep ravine. Although Boston hasn’t crunched the numbers, heestimated the project could cost around $50,000.

Rootville would be a good location to extend water lines because they could be connected with lines on Falling Springs Road and West Mountain Road, which would be a “nice long-term goal,” according to Boston.

Mayor Bill Montgomery said the case was very similar to Jeff Broadstone’s request for a water line on his road. Because the project is outside of city limit’s, the property owners will have to make a significant contribution to the expense, he said.

“I think it would be nice to have water in Rootville; we don’t have to make any decisions right now,” Boston said.

Smith said the Spring Valley Anglers Rod and Gun Club will host their first group of veterans on a trial basis in June. The club now houses its guests at The Cabins in Gravette.Smith also pointed out that the government’s fiscal year ends in October.

Because private entities can’t stock a stream with fish in Arkansas, the club has to take care of the stream and nurture the fish.

The anglers club follows a very strict catch and release program and feeds the fish to encourage reproduction, Smith told the council.

Smith said the stream is very healthy right now and the wildlife department is complimentary. He also said Maris has, according to the federal government, improved the water quality since he has been managing the stream.

The anglers club will indirectly contribute to the local economy through the sale of items like groceries, fishing and hunting licenses and cabin rentals at other resorts, Smith said.

“I think you have a great project. I like what I’ve heard so far,” Montgomery said.

Community, Pages 2 on 05/12/2010