GENTRY — In order to resolve questions and concerns over parking on Main Street and the adjoining cross streets between Main Street and the alleywaysbehind Main Street businesses, the council on Monday adopted on its first reading a new ordinance repealing previous ordinances and establishing new parking regulations.

The new ordinance repeals prior ordinances which restricted parking to two hours on Main Street and adjoining cross streets and establishes a four-hour limit on Main Street, between Collins Avenue on the west and the Kansas City Southern Railroad on the east.

Also prohibited on Main Street and the adjacent side cross streets between Main Street and the alleys behind Main Street businesses would be the parking of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 30,000 pounds or more except for short-term delivery parking.

The ordinance will be brought back for a second reading in April.

Also passed on a first reading by the council was an ordinance changing property owned bySteve and Virginia Still, located at 899 E. Arkansas Highway 12 from Commercial-2 to Residential Office. Key-box ordinance

Passed on its second reading Monday was an ordinance repealing a 2006 key-box ordinance and establishing new, less-restrictive requirements for key boxes on commercial buildings within the city of Gentry.

After debating the issue for several months in council and committee meetings, the council at its February meeting approved on its first reading an ordinance which would amend a 2006 ordinance requiring key boxes on all commercial buildings in Gentry by May 1 of this year to exempt owners of existing commercial buildings unless the buildings are equipped with sprinkler systems orfire alarms.

The new ordinance would only require approved key boxes - currently only those manufactured by the Knox Company - on commercial buildings equipped with sprinkler systems or fire alarms and not on allnew construction as alternately proposed.

The change comes as a result of complaints from numerous business owners about being required to install the key boxes on their business buildings. Some were concerned over privacy and security issues and hanging a key in a box outside their businesses. Others objected on the basis of principle that the city should not be able to make such a requirement upon them.

A motion made by Janie Parks Monday to pass the ordinance on its third and final reading failed, with Jason Barrett, Michael Crawford, James Furgason and Todd Wagner voting no. Janice Arnold, Warren Norman and Janie Parks voted yes. Kyle Jordan was absent. Furgason also opposed the ordinance on its second reading.

As a result, a special meeting was called for 6:30 p.m. on March 15 to consider passage of the ordinance on its third reading. If the council waited until its regular April meeting to pass the ordinance on its third and final reading, it could not take effect until 30 days after publication, meaning the current ordinance requiring key boxes on all business buildings on May1 would remain in effect until sometime after that May 1 deadline - probably about mid-May.

Some council members expressed frustration over the need to call a special council meeting at additional cost to the city. Others said they wanted to give citizens every opportunity to weigh in on the matter before the new ordinance is adopted and takes effect.

Also added to the special meeting agenda was a recommended resolution in support of Arkansas Coalition for Affordable and Reliable Electricity. By adopting a resolution in support of ACARE, the council would be expressing its support for the work of Southwestern Electric Power Company in building the TurkPower Plant to help meet the future energy needs of the state.

Following the brief council meeting, a working session to study a sign ordinance recommended by the city’s planning and zoning commission is scheduled. No official action on the sign ordinance is expected at the meeting.

The special meeting will be held in council chambers and the public is welcome to attend.

Referred back to the police committee were information and discussion on ways to deal with the city’s feral cat population.

A special meeting, open to all council members and the public, was set for 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 23, at city hall.

News, Pages 1 on 03/09/2011