Grant pared back

GENTRY — A grant application from the city to begin work on a natural area on city-owned property along Flint Creek was scaled back because of a shortage of funds, Gentry Chamber of Commerce director Bev Saunders told the city council at its Dec. 5 meeting.

The city had applied for an Arkansas Wildlife Recreation Facilities Grant totaling almost $100,000 to dredge the existing ponds to make them suitable for fishing, to put in a parking area, a three-rail fence and an access trail to the fishing ponds.

The board which awards the grant contacted the city and asked if the amount could be reduced, with a new total submitted within a few days. To accommodate the request, Saunders and Gentry mayor Kevin Johnston met and considered items which could be cut from the first stage of the project.

“We cut all but the fishing pond,” Saunders said. “We cut the threerail fence, the parkinglot, access to the pond and the grant writer’s fee,” she said.

According to Saunders, the cuts reduced the requested amount to somewhere between $81,000 and $82,000.

“We cut our grant (request) by 17 to 18 percent,” she said.

If approved, the money would make it possible for the city to move forward with work on the ponds to make them suitable for stocking fish and fishing. Other work could be done by volunteer labor and donations or be put on hold until money is available - possibly from another grant in the future.

Saunders also reported that 30 to 40 trees had been planted in the west side of the city park in cooperation with the Illinois River WatershedPartnership. Additional grant money totaling $6,000 from Walmart and Cargill was available to purchase more trees for planting in the park.

Saunders said that the money would be used to purchase more trees since the city had obtained a good price on trees.

City council members renewed the mowing contract with Lemke Lawns for another year, with mowing prices remaining unchanged.

The contract with Lemke Lawns to mow city parks, cemeteries and other city properties allowed the council to renew it yet this year without putting the job out for bid. Since all were pleased with the mowing service and prices were not going up, the council approved the renewal.