Levee near Newport eroding, but holding back rising White River
An eroding levee near Newport was holding back the White River on Thursday afternoon, but officials remain concerned about the rate of the levee’s deterioration and its ability to protect homes downstream.
An estimated 6 inches of rain fell earlier this week, raising the White River to flood stage, weakening the levee and putting some 30 homes downstream at risk.
Jeff Phillips, the county judge in Jackson County, issued a nonmandatory evacuation order Tuesday night advising residents to evacuate the mostly rural area south of Newport and east of the White River, extending into Woodruff County.
The White River crested at 30.14 feet Thursday morning in Jackson County, and Phillips said in the afternoon that the levee appeared to holding, which he said was “a good sign.”
“Very little has changed,” he said.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock said the White River is expected to crest at 34.15 feet today in Woodruff County, but state and local officials said the levee was still at risk.
“The erosion of the levee is underneath the water,” said Tabitha Clarke, senior service hydrologist for the National Weather Service. “Even though the velocity of the water will go down over the next few days doesn’t mean the erosion stops.”
The cresting of the river is important because repairing the levee will be easier after the water recedes, Clarke said. The levee is between two gauges on the river, one in Newport and the other at Augusta in Woodruff County, so officials don’t know the
President George Washington’s establishment of the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the country.
“So, we are into 2020 with the grand opening of a fully functional museum,” he said.
A man at the meeting said he didn’t have any children and seldom went downtown near where the museum is. He asked what was in it for him to pay the extra tax.
Museum Foundation President Jim Dunn said some people won’t see a direct benefit from the museum, but the community as a whole will profit from having 125,000 people a year travel to Fort Smith to visit the museum.
Museum officials have said the museum will have an annual economic impact of $15 million to $22 million.
Responding to another question, Weeks said it will cost $2.5 million to operate the museum for a year. Admission fees, retail sales, food and beverages, facilities rentals and other income will pull in $1.9 million.
The remaining operating revenue, $600,000, will be obtained through fundraising, which Weeks said most museums must undertake to pay the bills. Dunn said the museum will have a full-time marketing director who will oversee fundraising.
To use taxpayer money for the museum, Fort Smith city directors voted to establish a public facilities board that would buy and own the museum property and building. The board would lease it to the museum officials who would run the museum.
Fort Smith city government would have no role in the museum other than providing the tax money, if the tax is approved, and appointing members of the facilities board.
“The nonprofit corporation [the museum] will pay all costs of operating the Marshals Museum with the city and public facilities board having no liability for such costs,” the ordinance said.
Museum officials said the museum will pay the cost of the special election.
Dunn said the initial five members of the board will be Fort Smith residents appointed to staggered terms by Mayor George McGill. Replacement members will be appointed by city directors.
One thing the museum staff has to deal with every day is the disbelief that this will be only a nine-month tax, Dunn said.
“It is a nine-month tax that passed,” he said. “It is written into the ordinance itself, and there will be no extension or replacement tax. It will end.”
The museum’s final community meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Elm Grove Community Center at 1901 N. Greenwood Ave.
Museum officials have said the museum will have an annual economic impact of $15 million to $22 million.