GENTRY — Gentry's city council, on April 3, approved the purchase of an 11.5-acre tract of land within the city from Tier One Investments, LLC. The city intends to use the land as a park, and plans discussed for the tract include the possibility of soccer fields.
The tract, located south of Smith and Little Streets, east of Avalon Drive and west of the railroad tracks, adjoins another small tract of land owned by the city to which it did not have street or road access.
The agreed upon purchase price for the land is $80,000, according to the contract which was attached to the resolution in the city council packet. The land, according to the contract, has been appraised at $90,000.
Closing date for the sale was to be by April 30, according to the contract.
Purchase of the land was discussed last year by the council, but action was delayed until this year so that money for the purchase could be included in the city's budget.
"The intent is to incorporate the new acreage with the adjacent 2.6-plus acres that the city already owns and utilize the space for additional parks and recreational facilities," said Kevin Johnston, Gentry's mayor, in an email last week. "We are in need of additional soccer fields, along with other amenities, but the exact locations have not yet been determined."
Also approved unanimously by the council was a subdivision rehabilitation and completion agreement between the city and Double R Corporation to allow for the completion of the Foxtrot Subdivision which was planned and approved but never completed. The agreement requires streets and utilities to be brought up to city code requirements, including the upgrading of 2-inch water lines to 6-inch lines. The city will provide the labor for the waterlines, with Double R providing the necessary pipe and materials. The agreement allows the work to be completed in phases consisting of 10 or more homes. The entire subdivision must be complete within 10 years, according to the agreement, or subsequent work must be completed according to city standards in effect at that time.
The accompanying map includes more than 50 lots and a number of streets, including Cherry Avenue and Redbud Street. The subdivision is located to the south of the Gentry Medical Clinic on East Third Street.
In other business, the council approved the appointment of Richard Stripling to the Park Advisory Committee. This was the last open seat on the committee. Stripling's term will expire on Dec. 31, 2019.
The council also reviewed credentials and chose engineering and surveying firms with which the city may negotiate a contract for day-to-day engineering and surveying needs. For inside the city water system issues, the following three firms were chosen for contract negotiations in the following order: 1. Civil Engineering of Siloam Springs; 2. Engineering Services Inc. of Springdale; and 3. Crist Engineers of Little Rock. For water system issues outside the city limits, the following were chosen: 1. ESI; 2. Civil Engineering; and 3. Crist Engineers. For drainage issues: 1. Civil Engineering; 2. ESI; 3. Crist Engineers. For surveying needs: 1. James Surveying of Gentry; 2. ESI; and 3. McClelland Consulting Engineers of Fayetteville.
General News on 04/12/2017