GRAVETTE — The Gravette City Council Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday night proved to be an informational session on many topics ranging from the municipal swimming pool to the recent city-wide cleanup.
Department reports comprised much of the morethan-two-hour session, as well as a report on providing services to the Hiwasse area, seeking a grant for a skate park and taking bids on a kids’ splash park at the pool.
Work in setting up a police/ fire/ambulance substation office in the Hiwasse community building is progressing, as well as patrolling roads in that area and locating two pumper trucks and a service vehicle at the site.
“They (city employees) have been doing a great job,” Mayor Byron Warren said.
Gravette’s swimming pool will open Wednesday, May 23, for the summer, the mayor said. However, it will be closed Saturday, May 26, because of graduation, which involves pool lifeguards.
The committee discussed seeking a grant to construct a skate park and a resolution was forwarded to the council for action at its May 24 meeting for possible approval.
Jeff Gravette, a great-grandson of the youngest son of E.T. Gravett, founder of Gravette, was officially sworn in as a member of the Gravette Public Library Commission. Gravette is a social studies teacher at Gravette Middle School.
Brad Corbett, representing Deffenbaugh Industries, the franchise firm for waste disposal in Gravette, spoke briefly to the council. He explained progress on serving the Hiwasse area and men-tion was made of problems involving the recent spring cleanup bulk trash pickup.
Mayor Warren said that mowing about 20 vacant lots is progressing as time and personnel permit. He also said that spraying for mosquitoes is expected to begin soon. The spraying will be done after dark, he noted.
Warren also said that, after census figures are received for the newly incorporated area, it is expected to make Gravette eligible to move from a second class city to first class.
One other item of interest for consideration at the regular council meetinglater this month will be to allow the sale of fireworks inside the city limits. Such sale has been forbidden since enactment of an ordinance in 2002.
A report confirmed that the wastewaster treatment plant continues to meet andexceed state requirements involving the discharge of nitrates and phosphorus.
The council also saw estimates on possible paving costs for Sixth Avenue NW and heard that upgrading water lines in northeast Gravette is about to begin.
News, Pages 1 on 05/16/2012