GRAVETTE -- Members of the Gravette City Council, at their regular Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday, April 12, considered establishing a fee for setting water meters in new subdivisions being developed. Corey Reardon, the water department supervisor, recommended charging a fee of at least $300 to the developer. Reardon explained that this would help cover the cost of meter installation as the city had been absorbing these costs in the past. A vote on establishing such meter setting fees will be on the agenda for the April 26 council meeting.
Mayor Kurt Maddox displayed proposed plans for the Civic Center update and samples of materials to be used in the project. He reported the project will be put out for bid about May 1 and work will begin soon after the May 22 election. All city council meetings will be held at City Hall during the renovation.
Maddox introduced the city's new building inspector, David Keck, and reported that floors at the Hiwasse Community Building were scheduled to be resealed Friday. Work on the building should be complete this week. He also reported that concrete would be poured at the splash pad at the pool this week.
Discussion was held regarding lot splits for property owned by JTZ, a film studio on Dickson Road in Hiwasse, and for property owned by Rose just off Stidham Road in Hiwasse and replatting of land owned by Glenn Whitman at Dallas Street and Sixth Avenue S.W. Whitman plans to build four homes of between 1,300 and 1,600 square feet on the property. All three actions will be voted on at the April council meeting.
Discussions were also held regarding a request by Lewis Ryan for rezoning of property he owns at Second Avenue S.W. from R-1 to C-2. Ryan is considering building a metal building on the property to store chemicals used in his pool-cleaning business. The matter was referred to the planning commission for further discussion. A preliminary plat for a planned John Lykins subdivision was also on the agenda for the Monday evening planning commission meeting.
A resolution expressing the city's willingness to utilize federal Transportation Alternative Program funds will be voted on at the April 26 council meeting. The TAP funding, available with an 80 percent federal participation and 20 percent local match, will be used to develop and improve sidewalks in the south part of town and complete the next phase of the city's trail system.
Lonnie Mullen, fire chief, reported the fire department has been on 265 calls year-to-date and turnout time has been reduced to 1.24 minutes.He said he intends to apply for a SAFER grant again this year. He said previous denials of grant applications had been based largely on incomplete record keeping. Therefore, he is making updating the records a top priority.
Mullen also reported his intention to take out of service 22 Scott air packs that have recently been replaced and are no longer needed. He also wishes to take out of service a Mako air compressor at the Hiwasse fire station. It has not been used for years and has been deemed not worth fixing. His plan is to trade it for a needed cascade system and compressor and thus reduce the cost of the AFG grant he has applied for and the department's 5 percent match.
Police Chief Skaggs reported the police department had made 1,713 calls in 2018. He said 48 percent of these were routine business patrols or investigations of suspicious circumstances. He said he intends to take out of service four police department vehicles, including a Dodge Charger that will be transferred for use by city employees. He intends to sell the others at county auction.
Mullen presented results of a study done by Ambulance Medical Billing showing average fees that other states are charging for ambulance services. The AMB fee structure shows that Gravette's charges are lower in several areas and no charges are being charged for some services. Mullen recommends that the Gravette ambulance service increase charges for some services and add other charges so it can better cover its costs for services and add other needed services.
Mullen also submitted three bids for Ford F-450 4-wheel drive ambulances, each of which has a 20-25 year lifespan. Each ambulance has a remountable box. Each time the box is remounted on a new vehicle, it is upgraded to current standards. The city's five-year-old ambulance will be paid off this year and Mullen recommends purchasing another ambulance to have a second fully-equipped vehicle as a backup when the current one is in service.
Karen Benson, library supervisor, reported exterior signage had been completed on the library, and all books were being displayed by groups rather than alphabetically or by author. All children's books have been placed in the KidZone area and organized by reading level. She reported a new meeting room policy will require for-profit groups to pay $5 per hour for room rental. A new Atrium computer system is being installed. Amnesty for fines on overdue books and materials is being offered in April.
Corey Reardon, water department supervisor, reported the sewer lagoon did not pass ADEQ inspection. He has met with engineers and expects to enter arbitration with the contractor to repair the leaks.
Tim Dewitt, street department supervisor, submitted bids for road work. Hutchins was the only bidder for chip and seal work on streets in the Hiwasse area, and DECO was the lowest bidder on placing 1 1/2 inch overlay on several streets in Gravette. Dewitt recommended accepting the bids from Hutchins and DECO.
Carl Rabey, city finance director, gave the monthly financial report, including an update on expenditures to date and balances remaining in each of the city's bond funds. Rabey reported March was a pretty standard month except that there were three payrolls in the month, resulting in a large expense of $60,000 for payroll and benefits. He also submitted a list of proposed budget adjustments which will be voted on at the April 26 council meeting.
General News on 04/18/2018