GENTRY -- Approximately 50 people attended a town hall meeting on Tuesday, May 15, at the Gentry Public Library to learn more of city plans on numerous projects in the city, including plans for park development.
Kevin Johnston, Gentry's mayor, led the meeting, using a PowerPoint presentation which outlined the projects and a proposal for a 7/8 cent sales and use tax increase to help pay for city maintenance work and new park facilities.
If approved by voters in November, the sales tax increase would increase Gentry's local sales tax from 1 1/8 cent per dollar to 2 cents per dollar and would make Gentry's sales tax the same as the tax rate in Siloam Springs and numerous other local cities. The state tax rate is 6.5 percent, the county receives 1 percent, and the city currently receives 1.125 percent. The increase would raise the total sales tax rate in Gentry from 8.625 percent to 9.5 percent.
According to the PowerPoint presentation, Johnston estimated the city has missed out on almost $2.5 million in revenue by not collecting the additional 7/8 cent tax.
Though not dedicated, the breakdown being proposed by Johnston is 1/8 cent to the city's Street Fund for streets, parking lots, sidewalks and drainage. The remaining 3/4 cent would go to the General Fund, with 1/4 cent going to support public safety for police, fire and the increasing EMS demands, and the remaining 1/2 cent going to pay for the evolving park master plan as needed for phases and individual projects.
"Once the 'plan' is addressed, the half-cent will be utilized to support the operation and maintenance of the new system and our efforts to provide an excellent quality of life and a great sense of place for our community," Johnston said.
Johnston said, whether the new tax passes or not, buying groceries and shopping in Gentry helps provide services and amenities for Gentry residents instead of paying for the amenities of other cities.
Johnston updated those in attendance on a project to replace the Dawn Hill East bridge over Flint Creek which was damaged during April 2017 floods. Johnston said the city council had just passed a resolution at a special meeting before the town hall meeting to approve a resolution authorizing him to enter into an agreement with the Arkansas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for the construction of a new bridge. The council unanimously approved the resolution.
With the new agreement in place, a federal-aid job number will be assigned and the replacement bridge can be engineered and designed and then put out to bid. Once a bid is approved, the project can be started.
Johnston said the estimated cost of the bridge replacement is $854,588. By waiting and receiving federal aid, the city will be responsible for 20 percent of that cost, saving the city approximately $684 thousand.
The bridge replacement plans would include an all concrete bridge and a walkway. The bridge would have 18 inches more clearance, have extended wing walls to prevent scouring and would allow the water to flow over the bridge should a major flooding event occur, according to Johnston.
Other needs presented in the town hall meeting included improved police coverage and added safety by having two officers on duty within the city at all times. Johnston said he viewed this as needed for the safety of officers and for better coverage in the city.
Johnston summarized the increasing costs of providing ambulance service to city residents, with costs at $77,000 this year and estimated to be more than $130,000 in three years. Johnston said the city would likely have to look at "a different approach' to providing EMS service to Gentry residents in the future.
Maps of master park plans were presented at the meeting which show preliminary designs for use of parklands owned by the city, including parks along Main Street and the newly acquired park lands (added to city-owned land) along the Kansas City Southern Railroad at the south end of Little Avenue which now total nearly 29 acres.
The park drawings were prepared by Rick McGraw of McClelland Consulting Engineers, a firm contracted by the city to help it develop a master plan for its parklands which can be used in adding amenities as funding becomes available. The drawings propose the best use of the parklands along the railroad track for soccer fields, baseball and softball diamonds and diamonds for T-ball and machine pitch.
Plans sought to unite the parklands on the south side of Main Street with the ball fields on the north. In addition to walking trails and pavilions, the Main Street Park would include one ball diamond, tennis courts, basketball courts, horseshoes, tuj lub courts (a traditional Hmong top-spinning game), the existing skateboard park and a splash pad, as well as stage and picnic areas. Parking was added to the park plans at both locations.
Johnston spoke of the city plans to build a walking bridge over the spillway at Flint Creek Nature Park with grant funding. The proposed bridge would be a steel arch, approximately 80 feet in length with either a concrete or wooden 10-foot-wide walkway. The estimated cost for the bridge is between $65,000 and $82,000, depending on whether the walking surface is constructed of wood or concrete. The grant is an 80/20 grant, with the city required to pay 20 percent of the grant amount in funds, materials or in-kind labor. The grant does not include professional fees for the project.
Also outlined in the presentation is a project to build water storage facilities near the current Benton-Washington Regional Public Water Authority towers to the northeast of the city. The additional tower would provide water to the city's system to meet peak demands and when the Two-Ton system does maintenance on its system.
Johnston said the city would need to move forward with the above projects even if the proposed sales tax increase is not approved by voters. But he said it would take the city 60-100 years to accomplish these goals if the tax measure is not approved.
To view the entire PowerPoint presentation, visit www.gentryarkansas.us.
General News on 05/23/2018