GRAVETTE -- All council members, city clerk Mike von Ree and city attorney David Bailey were present for the committee of the whole meeting last Thursday at city hall. In the comment period preceding the meeting, Roy Perrine, library commission member, spoke to the council and asked that a vote for a dedicated one mil tax for library support be placed on the November ballot. He explained that some library grants are available if the library has a person with a master of library science degree on staff and librarian Kim Schneider is now working toward that degree. Another requirement for some grants is this dedicated one mil tax.
Fire chief Rob Douthit spoke to the council and asked permission to use the Arkansas trauma grant, about $4,000, to purchase Roswell bags for treating pediatric patients. Council members voted to grant that request.
All department heads submitted written reports.
Kim Schneider, library manager, reported that the summer reading program would begin in early June. Grand opening for the library is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, with an open house and other events planned.
Corey Reardon, water and sewer department manager, reported a frozen valve on a water meter at the elementary school with the school not being billed for that meter. Repair cannot be done during the day without interrupting service to the school, so mayor Kurt Maddox suggested working late one day to repair the valve or doing the work on a Saturday.
Tim Dewitt, street and parks department manager, reported the department's new truck had come in. His crew has been installing playground equipment in Old Town Park, and mulch has been received for landscaping. He said the bathroom and pavilion materials were to be unloaded Monday and work on them would begin May 1, so work was "moving along nicely" at the park.
Dewitt said road grading work would begin Monday. He said FEMA is still writing contracts for the road repairs needed after the December flooding. Plans are to white rock all roads. The city will have to bid out the work to get the roads back as they should be and foot the bill until FEMA reimbursers expenses. He has identified seven locations where culverts are needed to prevent repeated repairs.
Rob Douthit, fire chief, reported the fire department is making an effort to concentrate on fire prevention. Representatives from the American Red Cross will be coming in soon to put smoke detectors in homes, or new batteries if the home is already equipped with a smoke detector. This is part of a campaign to install smoke detectors throughout Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. Smoke detectors will be kept at the fire station and citizens may come pick them up there.
Firemen have been doing hydrant testing in preparation for an ISO testing sometime in 2017. Re-evaluations must be done every 10 years and the last one was done in 2007. Gravette firemen have been doing mutual aid training with Decatur and other departments. The local department is aiming for a 3-minute emergency response time. Douthit said the department would get good ratings on response time but Hiwasse lacks hydrants. He said Gravette may work with Centerton to put in some hydrants.
Council member Melissa Smith asked if the city had a registry where citizens could sign up if they had a storm cellar. Douthit said, if the homeowner received assistance from FEMA to build the storm cellar, the location should be registered with the Office of Emergency Management. He said he will work on getting such a list compiled to assist in searching for victims after a disaster.
Andy Bower, police chief, said he was still waiting on the new police department vehicles. He had been told they were on a semi in Kansas City just waiting for transport. He reported that an officer was in training now with the new canine, a 2 1/2 year old Belgian Malinois trained for police work. He also said landscaping had been done at the police station and work has begun on caulking and painting the building. The department's reserve officers have graduated from academy training.
Chris Speights, city finance director, presented the monthly financial report, reviewing fund balances. She said bank balances were on a growth trend in the city. She said the city's income has been going up more than was budgeted and sales tax collections are about on track. The 2014 audit will be finalized in a couple of weeks.
Mayor Maddox said he had asked all department heads to delay some of their purchases until October, and the city would hold off on street paving until the city could determine if sales tax collections are increasing.
Maddox said he would make a list of priorities so work could begin soon after July 1, when the bond issue revenue will be available. He said working on Main Street should be one of the first projects, with the new grocery store going in nearby. Work on parks will be delayed until more revenue is available.
In unfinished business, mayor Maddox reported that no action would be taken at this time on sale of the Russell-Pierce cemetery to the Alexander family since the Benton County Cemetery Preservation Group has taken over maintenance of the cemetery. The preservation group is also platting the cemetery now.
The city trash pickup contract was discussed, and Mayor Maddox said an ad will be placed in the newspaper so new companies can bid on the contract. The current provider will also be able to bid. Options for two-, three- and five-year contracts will be offered.
Staggered terms for city council members were briefly discussed and Mayor Maddox said the change in terms must first be approved by voters and then a decision would be made about what method would be used to determine whose terms would be up for election.
Maddox reported core drilling on the grocery store site was done last week, and workers were gutting the old Marvin's building now. They will tear down the lumber sales area first and then start work on a pad for the new building. Projected completion date for the new store is the first of October. He also said a prospective buyer from Oklahoma is interested in the Walmart store building for a small grocery store and gas station location, with a projected opening in July.
General News on 04/20/2016