City to replace firefighters’ gear ruined while working fatal crash

Officials hope insurance will cover $26K tab

Ten new uniforms for the Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department will replace those damaged on the scene of a fatal pileup last week.

At its regular meeting Monday, the city Board of Directors approved spending more than $26,000 for the new uniforms. The city plans to file an insurance claim for reimbursement of the expense.

Ten sets of their gear were soaked in a flammable liquid and made unusable Sept. 26, when TAFD firefighters responded to a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 30 involving three 18-wheelers and a van. The accident resulted in two deaths.

The van carried a large amount of painters’ supplies including thinner and similar solvents that soaked the firefighters’ coats, pants, gloves and boots, TAFD Chief David Fletcher said.

Getting the new gear will take at least two weeks but possibly longer, depending on what suppliers have in stock, Fletcher said.

The board also approved three contracts by consent. One renews Texarkana Water Utilities’ license agreement for Geographic Information

System software for three years. The Arkansas side’s portion of the cost is $20,860 a year.

Another contract lets TWU purchase digital aerial photography services from Pictometry Inc. The city’s portion of the cost is more than $34,000 over two years.

The third hires Contech Contractors Inc. to build a concrete parking lot at Bobby Ferguson Park at a cost of more than $123,000.

To fund the lot’s construction, the city recently received a state Outdoor Recreation Grants Program award of $55,000, matching $55,000 in General Improvement Funds administered by Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District. The remainder of the the expenditure is available in the Parks and Recreation Department budget.

During the citizen communication portion of the meeting, Amanda Bowers called for oversight of the city Advertising and Promotion Commission.

The commission decides how to distribute the city’s hotel and restaurant taxes, which are earmarked to support the local tourism and hospitality industries.

Bowers and Tammy Thompson, organizers of a local charity event called Gathering of Authors, recently have raised questions about the commission’s procedures, including the number of votes required to approve funding.

Thompson and Bowers sent one written complaint about the A&P Commission to the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office Sept. 12 and filed another with the Attorney General’s Office, Arkansasside City Manager Kenny Haskin and the “Report a Concern” page of the city’s website on Friday.

“We believe there have been multiple misappropriations in the board’s disbursement of funds to various entities. It appears that the A&P has disbursed more than $350,000 over the past year without the full support of all its commission members and additionally may have violated some ethical standards and practices of their offices,” Bowers said.

At issue is a section of the commission’s bylawys that states “all members” must vote to approve funding outside the normal annual disbursement in October. The rule has been interpreted to mean all members present if there is a quorum, but at a Sept. 11 meeting, commission attorney Josh Potter said in his opinion it means all seven members.

The bulk of Thompson’s and Bowers’ second complaint points out examples dating to July 2016 in which the commission awarded funds without a unanimous vote of the full commission.

“I’m here to ask: Who has the purview over the A&P board? Who has the authority to reprimand the A&P board for any unethical actions? … What will it take for this council to step up and take action against the A&P? How many chances do they get to misuse taxpayer dollars and mistreat the citizens of Texarkana before we do something?” Bowers said.

In other business, beginning today Sanderson Lane will be closed to traffic in both directions at the bridge over McKinney Bayou, Public Works Director Jeff Whitten told the board. Safety concerns mean repairs to the bridge can wait no longer, and the work could take at least a month, Whitten said.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16.

On Twitter: @RealKarlRichter