Council holds off on allowing golf carts on streets
Gentry resolution strongly encourages face coverings
GENTRY — City council on Monday night passed a resolution highly recommending the wearing of face masks in all public places where it is not possible to practice social distancing, and it approved ordinances setting a 25 mph speed limit on portions of Dawn Hill East Road and restricting the use of engine brakes within the city.
Following guidance from the governor’s office and the state health department, the city of Gentry “strongly encourages all residents and visitors to wear face coverings in businesses,
workplaces, retail stores, places of worship, schools, healthcare facilities, other people’s homes, and any other indoor or outdoor environment where they are exposed to non-household members and a physical distance of six feet or more between persons cannot be assured,” the resolution states.
While there are no penalty provisions in the resolution, it does state that local law enforcement officers “shall educate and encourage members of the public who decline to wear face coverings regarding the Department of Health guidance on the efficacy of wearing face coverings.” Police officers are also authorized to assist business owners in removing non-compliant individuals from business premises if the business owners require the wearing of face coverings on their premises.
The council approved an ordinance on three readings with a single vote to set the speed limit on portions of Dawn Hill East Road within the city limits to 25 mph. The speed limit was set for the westernmost portion of the road within Gentry northeast to the road’s junction with Marion Lee Road. The speed limit matches the speed rating for the new bridge being constructed over Flint Creek which is scheduled to open on Aug. 21.
Also approved by the council was an ordinance prohibiting the use of engine brakes in the city except in the case of emergency braking. Fines can be up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for second and subsequent offenses.
Tabled until August was an ordinance to allow the use of golf carts on Gentry’s city streets. The proposed ordinance would have allowed the operation of a golf cart on city streets providing the driver is at least 16 years of age and obeys all traffic laws, yields to all motor vehicles, avoids obstructing traffic and has a reflective caution triangle on the rear of the vehicle. A driver’s license would not be required. Golf carts would not be allowed to be operated at night unless equipped with operational headlights, brake lights and turn signals, according to the proposed ordinance. While the carts may be driven across a state highway, they may not be operated on any state or federal highways or highway spurs within the city.
The ordinance was proposed to make it easier for elderly residents to travel around the city, do their shopping and run errands without the expense of running a licensed motor vehicle.
The council tabled the ordinance until next month’s meeting because of concerns about safety and liability in the event of accidents. Suggestions included raising the age limit to 18 or to 21 so that drivers could be held liable in the event of accidents and to keep younger drivers from using golf carts to go to and from schools on busy streets. Other concerns included the wearing of seatbelts and limiting the number of passengers to the manufacturer’s seating designs.
The council approved change orders to the Dawn Hill East Bridge project and to the waterline relocation project at the intersection of Arkansas Highways 12 and 43.
The change order on the Dawn Hill East bridge project in the amount of $14,400 was to repair a concrete driveway at Fisher Circle related to moving utilities. Though most of the cost will be paid by the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the city, too, was required to authorize the change order since the project is a joint project with ARDOT.
The second change order related to the additional cost of materials in the utility relocation project at the junction of Highways 12 and 43 that must also be approved by the Arkansas Department of Transportation, with the state agency paying 82.38% of the costs.
The council approved resolutions authorizing the purchase of 0.13 acres of land for a price not to exceed $1,500 from Robert and Wanda Meyer to make improvements to the Pine Avenue lift station.
The council, by resolution, also authorized the city to apply for an Outdoor Recreation matching grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism to aid the city in constructing park facilities. The proposal was to apply for a grant for the construction of a splash pad in the city park which can be completed before the next grant application deadlines to allow application for grant money next year to help with other park projects.
Conceptual drawings for a splash pad in the city park were shared with the council, with a recommendation to move forward with further design plans.
The council accepted the bid of Diamond C. Construction Company to build a pedestrian bridge over the spillway at the Flint Creek Nature Park at a cost of $113,091. The Arkansas Department of Transportation will also have to approve and accept the bid before construction can begin on the footbridge.