Gravette council passes pair of resolutions, approves rezoning
GRAVETTE — Gravette city council members, in a special meeting Thursday, Sept. 12, passed two resolutions. One authorizes the city to open an account with Bank of Gravette for the administration of the water meter purchase reserve funds. The other authorizes the city to open an Arvest Bank account for the administration of a FEMA firefighters assistance grant.
In other action at the special meeting, members approved rezoning property owned by Jacob Scott on Highway 72 east of Gravette from A-1, agricultural, to C-2, highway commercial.
Reports from several department heads were heard in the Committee of the Whole meeting which followed. Police Chief
Chuck Skaggs reported Gravette police officers have made 3,722 calls so far this year. The department recently hosted an instructor development class with 13 in attendance. Lt. Jared Weston reported that the fire department has made 589 calls year-to-date and department members have received 2,758 hours of training. Both Skaggs and Weston expressed thanks for the cooperation and participation in the joint 911 commemoration ceremony held Wednesday in CV’s parking lot.
David Keck, building inspector and code enforcement officer, reported the preconstruction inspection for the Crosswalk Development in Hiwasse has been done and construction should begin soon. He said dirt work has begun for three new homes on Dallas Street S.W., and four others have been approved elsewhere in town. Both Casey’s and O’Reilly’s are waiting on permits from the Arkansas Department of Transportation before construction can begin. Keck also announced a group from NWA Building Communities is coming to town Friday, Sept. 20, for a training session. It will hear about recent improvements in Gravette and take a walking tour of the city.
Corey Reardon, water department supervisor, reported recurring issues with one of the lift stations at the water plant and said it needs to be renovated. He also reported two water leaks, one on Main Street where Empire Electric was digging a line for the Bank of Gravette and hit a water line.
Tim Dewitt, streets and parks department supervisor, thanked fire department and police department personnel for their help with cleanup after the recent major storm damage. He reported Buttermilk Springs Road had just been reopened that day. It had an estimated 50 to 100 downed trees across the road.
Karen Benson, Gravette library manager, reported the library has received three recent grants, a $1,000 Libraries Lead with Digital Skills grant which will fund digital skills classes for small businesses in the spring, a $1,000 Dollar General youth literacy program grant to purchase books for the teen room and support formation of a teen book club and a $7,000 Best Buy grant to purchase furniture, equipment and materials for the library’s STEAM @ the Library program.
Kelsey Smith, from NWA Brand, gave a presentation outlining the firm’s work on a new city logo. She said it is attempting to capture the theme reflected in the city’s motto, “Heart of Hometown America,” and show that Gravette has a small-town feel with big city access. She distributed copies of a booklet that displays various type styles to be used on different products.
A resolution declaring certain library materials as surplus property and authorizing their appropriate disposal was discussed. A vote on the resolution will be on the agenda for the Sept. 26 council meeting. Also discussed was an ordinance establishing guidelines for accessory structures within the city. Councilman James Brown said he agreed that no sheds should be allowed in front yards, but he was concerned that other parts of the ordinance might be overly restrictive. After a brief discussion, it was agreed that several sections of the ordinance should be reconsidered. It will be on the agenda for the Sept. 26 meeting if the desired revisions can be made by that time.
Carl Rabey, city finance director, reported a figure of $19,624.06 for costs of emergency road cleanup after the recent windstorm. He said the figure will be within $1,000 of the final total since all he lacks is a report on police department personnel hours. A budget adjustment will be voted on to cover the costs.
An update was given on the sewer plant lagoon lawsuit. Mayor Kurt Maddox said the city spent over a quarter of a million dollars on repair and the situation was worse than before. He said the contractor is blaming the manufacturer of the product and other instances of blame are being offered. The city hired an engineer and did everything correctly, so the attorney has chosen to file a lawsuit. The case is currently in mediation and, if mediation is successful, the lawsuit will be dropped. Corey Reardon said the issue should be resolved by the end of November.
An update was also given on the city’s walking trail system. A problem was encountered on the trail at the intersection of Huntington S.W. and Fourth Avenue S.W. at which a section in the bottom was too steep and the trail will have to be moved onto higher ground. The land at the higher level belongs to Patrick Hall, who said he would accept the appraised value of the property as a purchase price. Council members voted to approve the $500 expenditure for an appraisal. Money recently donated by the Meade family will help fund additional trail expansion. Plans are complete for a section from El Paso S.E. and Second Avenue S.W., south on Second and west on Fort Smith S.W., then following the railroad track to the senior housing complex to connect with the existing sidewalk to the hospital. The city is waiting for an easement from the senior housing authority.
An update was given on building insurance. This prompted a brief discussion on the possibility of moving city hall back to Main Street. Councilmember Ron Theis said he favored such a move since it would fill unoccupied buildings there, increase traffic flow to Main Street and there would be no need to make a profit. Several possible locations were mentioned, and the subject will be discussed further.
Carl Rabey distributed the monthly financial report with an attached bond update. He reported net revenue has increased by almost $20,000 and $742,255.15 is left in bond funds. He said the 2018 legislative audit is finished and said he will be attending a workshop in Little Rock Sept. 26 where Internet sales tax and methods of collection will be discussed. Rabey proposed writing off $1,200 owed the city by Sulphur Springs EMS, and councilman Theis said he had a problem with that and thought the bill should be paid. Rabey said he would bill Sulphur Springs again, but the city has a history of nonpayment, with $3,600 billed over the last three years and only $600 paid. Several budget adjustments will be on the agenda for the Sept. 26 council meeting.
In comments at the conclusion of the meeting, Councilman Theis expressed concern about school buses turning wide at the corner of Highway 72 and Sixth Avenue S.E. and making ruts on adjacent property. He recommended moving a nearby utility pole and widening the pavement at the turn. Mayor Maddox said he thought the pavement was wide enough there and the striping company should just stripe the route to properly define the correct lane.