Mount Olive rezoning request withdrawn

A controversial ordinance requesting the rezoning of property located at 817 N. Mount Olive St. has been withdrawn by its applicant, Pruner Properties, according to a city staff report.

The ordinance, which called for rezoning the .49 acre property from R-2 (residential, medium) to R-4 (residential, multi-family), was poised to be read for the third and final time during the city board meeting on Tuesday night.

The ordinance has been a subject of controversy among residents who live nearby since it first arrived to the planning commission during their June 12 meeting. It made its way to the board’s agenda for the first time on Sept. 4 and the second time on Sept. 18, and on both of these occasions numerous residents appeared to voice their opposition to the idea. When asked for comment regarding why the application was withdrawn, a representative of Pruner Properties hung up the phone, and further attempts to reach the business went unanswered.

The board will also consider the prospect of entering into a three-year agreement with the county to provide emergency medical to the Siloam Springs Rural Fire District, plus a small area of land along Arkansas Highway 16, according to a

staff report. The resolution comes following the county’s May advertisement of a request for qualifications to entities capable of providing EMS coverage to the area, as well as Gentry and Decatur. The advertisement stipulated that the hope was to have a singular entity covering the entire area.

Currently, services to unincorporated areas of western Benton County are provided by a combination of the Gravette and Siloam Springs Fire Departments, according to a city staff report. The county is in negotiations with Northwest Health System’s ambulance services to cover all rural areas in the western side of the county, according to a report in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Following discussions with county officials, however, the city was asked to continue providing EMS coverage to the Siloam Springs Rural Fire District in addition to a small section of land located along Arkansas Highway 16, encompassing a total area of 40 square miles, the staff report stated. This is a significant reduction from the coverage the city currently provides, which spans 147 square miles.

The contract also stipulates that the county would pay the city $88.69 per household, and with a total of 1,592 households located inside the area in question, this amounts to an annual revenue of $141,194.48, in addition to revenues received when EMS transportation is provided, the staff report states.

The board will also have a number of other agenda items to consider, which are summarized below.

• The decision to approve a contract in the amount of $534,203 that would allow the fire department to construct a new training tower.

• The decision to approve a contract in the amount of $78,229.20 that would allow the construction of a curb and gutter that is needed to complete the Kenwood Street Widening Project. The city is unable to do this part of the project internally because they lack a curb machine that is needed to do so.

• The decision to approve a contract in the amount of $1,050,174 for a 30 percent design of the upgrades needed for the water treatment plant.

• The third reading of an ordinance that would vacate certain rights-of-way on the 500 Block of West Tulsa Street.

• The third reading of an ordinance that would alter a portion of the city’s zoning code that pertains to the P-K zone (parks). The code change would eliminate an existing provision that mandates the approval of a significant development prior to building public restrooms, clearing timber or some routine maintenance of the city’s parks.

• The third reading of an ordinance that would impose a citywide service fee on all debit and credit card transactions. The city is recommending approval in order to help offset increasing costs associated with credit card processing fees.

• The first reading of an ordinance that would introduce Chapter 53 — or the “Landscaping Code,” — to the city code, which is largely intended to increase requirements for property developers that relate to the preservation of green space on a proposed construction site.

• The decision to approve a resolution to authorize a preliminary plat development permit for the 24.43 acre property located on the 2300 Block of North Mount Olive Street.

• The decision to approve a resolution that would allow for the city to be reimbursed from the bonds that will be used to pay for the upgrades being made to the water treatment plant, for expenses that have arisen prior to the bonds being issued.

• The decision to approve a resolution that would permit the city administrator to sign loan-related documents from the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission, who could end up being the source of the $31 million loan needed for the upgrades to the water treatment plant.

Aside from these considerations, there will be a budget workshop that is open to the public and will begin at 5:30 p.m. There will also be an update on fire station No. 2 as well as the bike-lane pilot project following the scheduled agenda items.