DECATUR -- Twenty-two items were discussed and voted on during the three and half hour session of the Decatur City Council during its regular monthly meeting in the conference room at Decatur City Hall on March 14. Topping the agenda was the Decatur Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation to approve plans to construct a 4-plex residential complex on Pool Street.
The Clayton Bradford complex consists of four residential buildings with four units in each building. Each unit would be approximately 41 feet by 26 feet, with three bedrooms, two baths, a full kitchen and a living room.
The new complex would help ease the housing shortage which has plagued the Decatur area for the past few years. With Simmons expanding its work force at both its poultry processing and pet food facility, employees have been forced to look for housing in neighboring Gravette, Gentry and Siloam Springs.
James McAdams, Decatur resident, addressed the council concerning the 4-plex project during the citizens comment section of the meeting.
"I have heard bits and pieces about this project," McAdams said. "I am here tonight to find additional information about this project."
The planning commission presented the project to the council for discussion and approval. However, the council decided that the Clayton Bradford 4-plex project needed further clarification from the commission before it would consider it again. The council voted to table the project and send it back to Planning and Zoning for further review.
The council then turned its attention to the rebuilding of the water lines on Timberline Road on the east side of Decatur. James Boston, director of public works, stated that the pipeline running from the main line to homes along Timberline was built more than 30 years ago and is in need of replacement.
"We spend at least 50 percent of our time each week up on Timberline making repairs to the system," said Boston.
The piping system, while up to codes at the time of construction, weakens over time. The water department found, through its repairs, that the proper bedding was not laid down when the line was first built, allowing rocks and other objects to puncture the fragile line and create leaks.
To replace this system will require the city to dig across the road and tie the new system into the residential lines. Once complete, Timberline would have to be resurfaced. The city would have to scrape two inches off the top of the street, something that has yet to be done. Another plan calls for three inches to be removed and replaced with only two inches of asphalt. This would allow for future paving if needed.
In other council action, the city of Decatur became the 20th city in Arkansas to become a Purple Heart Community; the council approved a request by the Decatur Chamber of Commerce for additional electrical outlets at Veterans Park; and the council approved an amendment to Resolution 16-13 on the rental of the community room.
The city council meets the second Monday of each month and is open to the public. The first 30 minutes of each meeting is opened for public comment. Any Decatur resident wishing to address the council should contact the city clerk's office at 752-3912.
General News on 03/23/2016