HIGHFILL -- The city council in Highfill, at its Feb. 13 meeting, rezoned lands belonging to SK Land holdings LLC, accepted the final plat of Phase 2 of the Healing Springs Subdivision and approved the purchase of additional Scott X3 Air Packs and related equipment for the fire department.
The council, by ordinance, approved the rezoning of four acres of land located at 2753 W. Arkansas Highway 12 from R-1 Rural Residential to C-2 Commercial.
The final plat of Phase 2 of the Healing Springs Subdivision, land just received by annexation in January, was also approved by the council. The developer told the council of work with the Arkansas Department of Transportation and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to swap land to create a public natural area for future trails in the area of the waterfalls on Little Osage Creek.
The council approved the expenditure of $57,697 for the purchase of six Scott X3 air packs, 12 Scott SCBA bottles, and six Scott face masks for the fire department. The purchase is part of a plan to replace all the department's aging air packs. The council approved the purchase of five new air packs in September 2022.
According to information presented to the council by Fire Chief Cody Wynne, the department has 25 air packs that needed to be replaced, so more purchases will yet need to be made in the upcoming years.
The council, by resolution, approved an updated agreement with the city of Centerton for animal control services, appointed Matthew Summit to fill a vacancy on the city's planning commission, adopted an amended budget for 2022, and transferred $2,814 from the Highfill Water Revenue Fund to the city's Fire Equipment Fund.
According to Mayor Chris Holland, the amended budget did not add funding to the overall budget but simply adjusted budget line items to reflect expenditures and added funding from unused budget funds to the police department for the renovation of the city's new police station.
The council considered a request from Highfill's police chief, Blake Webb, to purchase a 2021 Dodge Charger with all-wheel drive for the department with only 3,000 miles on it for $24,500. He requested the vehicle because the city needed a spare for use by part-time officers and as a backup should any of the city's aging truck fleet break down.
Councilman Toby Lester reminded Chief Webb of his previous difficulties with using cars on the city's roads and said he did not support the idea of purchasing another Dodge Charger for use in the city.
Webb said the car was not his first choice but that the waiting list is long to purchase a police truck or police vehicle and the car was being offered to the city at a bargain price from a dealer in Claremore, Okla.
The council failed to pass a motion to commit to buying a truck when one became available by adding its name to a list to obtain one later in the year. A second motion to purchase the Dodge Charger passed only after Mayor Holland somewhat reluctantly voted to allow the purchase.
However, since an ordinance would be needed, the matter was to be brought back to the council at a special meeting for approval but a decision was later made to lease a Chevy Tahoe and Silverado for the department instead.
Tim Mays of ESI addressed the council, and discussion was held in regard to three different projects being worked on by the engineering firm: 1.) Relocation of water lines for the airport; 2.) Surveying work on Douglas Cemetery Road for repairs caused by repeated flooding; and 3.) the route of the sewer line to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority water treatment plant.
According to Mays, the city was approved to receive $2.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the $5.4 million project to run a sewer line to NACA for water treatment services. He said the city was very fortunate to receive the grant because many applied.
The council discussed possible changes in that project to serve customers along Arkansas Highway 264 and then running the sewer line south along Hendrix Road instead of running the line south along the Lick Branch Creek.
It was pointed out that the design approved for grant funding was the design that followed the creek south and then used a lift station to pump the sewage to NACA
Mays estimated it would cost the city an additional $400,000 to follow a route along Highway 264 and then south. He said if the sewer system served customers in that area, an additional lift station would be required, adding another $350,000 for the lift station and the forced main.
Mays suggested that, in lieu of modifying the entire route, if the city wished to provide service along Highway 264, the city put in a lift station and pump sewage to the new forced main for a cost of $400,000 rather than spending $750,000.
He said he would hate to build large-diameter forced main where busy roads are because they are under pressure.
Since the ARPA grant of $2.7 million is a 50/50 grant, the city applied for a $2.7 million loan from Arkansas Natural Resources Commission earlier in February, and that loan application would be on the ANRC agenda the second week of March.
If the city wishes to extend the sewer line along Arkansas Highway 264 to serve other customers, that could be another phase of the project and would require a separate loan application, Mays said.
The matter of pursuing an additional phase and additional funding is expected to be on the March council meeting agenda.
Scott VanHook, of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Forestry Division, addressed the council in regard to becoming a tree city and brought a sample ordinance that the city could adopt to become a tree city
Mayor Holland said he would like to strike out language authorizing the city to tell people what they can and can't do on their own lands before the city adopts an ordinance to become a tree city in Arkansas.
To become a tree city, Highfill would need to create a tree advisory board and establish practices for the planting, care and removal of trees located on public property.
The cost to the city is $2 per capita each year but in-kind labor and services can be applied to this amount.
A proposed ordinance will be prepared for consideration at the March meeting.
Cassie Elliott addressed the council regarding its trail system and ways to tie into systems in neighboring municipalities and possibly obtaining Trail of Tears designations.
Holland said planning a trail system would designate certain trails in the city that developers would build as they develop those lands in the city.
Elliott said that having a plan in place could help with grant applications when grant funding for trails becomes available.