City Council OKs police car purchase, church lease

GRAVETTE — Members of the Gravette city council approved the purchase of a new police car at their regular meeting Thursday, July 22, at the Civic Center. They voted to buy a 2021 4-wheel drive Chevrolet Tahoe from Superior Automotive Group in Siloam Springs. The total price, with an emergency equipment package, will be $47,211.25. This will replace a Ford Explorer totaled in a recent accident. Funds will come from an insurance settlement on the wrecked vehicle and from the capital improvement fund.

Council members also voted to enter a two-year lease with Todd and Dana Renfrow of Gravette for the First Presbyterian Church property at 21 Atlanta Street S.E. The Renfrows recently moved to Gravette from Bentonville and plan to use the building for an Academy of Music. They propose to clean and sand floors, remodel the bathroom, paint ceilings, walls, windows and exterior sign, repair lighting, maintain the HVAC system and landscape beds on the grounds. The music academy will offer scholarships and discounted tuition for some students, and Mayor Kurt Maddox said it should be an asset to the community.

In other business, council members passed an ordinance permitting fire captain Jared Weston to do business with the city of Gravette. Weston is a full-time employee of the Gravette Fire Department and is

authorized as a representative of Extreme Sports, a company that provides materials and services for the maintenance of fire department equipment. They also passed a resolution to open an account with Grand Savings Bank for disbursement of funds from a $300,000 Small Cities Community Development Block Grant recently approved for the city. These funds are to be used for Gravette’s water line rehab project.

Finally, a resolution was passed authorizing adjustments to the 2021 budget.

Finance director Carl Rabey gave a bond update and reported a $208,000 balance in the sidewalk bond fund and a $9,900 balance in the parks bond fund which is earmarked for work at Pop Allum Park. He said the 2020 legislative audit would be complete in five days.

Mayor Maddox thanked Rabey for his service and said he was thankful he had decided to stay at Gravette after receiving a job offer from another city.