Items removed from homeless camp behind business in East Broadway Crews focusing on cleaning up ice storm debris
Cleanup from the last month’s ice storm continues across the city with local departments using all possible means to get debris picked up.
Kinyuna Smith reported the progress being made by the city’s public works department during the city directors meeting this morning due to department leaders Darin Flenoy, director, and Richard Rice, assistant director, working with inmates from the East Arkansas Regional Unit at Brickeys who are in town helping the process.
Smith reported that the street department has crews working on drains, pulling discarded junk out of woods and hauling limbs to the city landfill. Pest control workers are also helping haul off discarded junk from wooded areas.
"Solid waste will have leaf trucks on Sherwood working north, a boom arm on Fernwood and chipper trucks on Kittle working toward Robinson," said Smith.
Forrest City Mayor Cedric Williams reported the last day for the hired contractors helping in the city was Thursday.
"We separated the city four ways between four contractors," said Williams. "Week one they collected 10,426.25 cubic yards. In week two, they collected 17,958.9 cubic yards, totaling 28,385.15 cubic yards of storm debris collected."
Contractors Get-R-Done, Banks Property Management, LLC, East Arkansas Tree Service and Trees-R-Us, LLC/Renigar Enterprises Inc., were paid $20 per cubic yard for the debris collected, totaling $567,703 for contracted work. Williams also reported the city had gathered 3,322.15 cubic yards in the first week and a half after the storm and workers are still collecting debris.
He reported contractors have been paid and the city is still dealing with overtime hours for public works employees.
"We've been working overtime, especially at our landfill," said Williams. "Our pile has gotten a lot bigger there."
Williams said State Office of Emergency Management officer Jeff Jones revisited the landfill and said unofficially that the city had reached the necessary amount of debris for emergency assistance.
"I've not yet received the official email from him, but from speaking with him, he said we definitely qualify once all the paperwork is completed," said Williams.
Williams said once the official paperwork is processed, the city would qualify for 35% return from the state.
"We are working with the county and our neighbors in Crittenden County, Monroe, Woodruff and other areas to see if there are other damages out there to see if we might meet the federal threshold for assistance, which is $4.9 million from a state standpoint," said Williams. "We've not met that threshold yet."
Williams stressed the importance of residents separating limbs and leaves to help speed along the cleanup process.
"Try and cut the limbs into sixfeet increments and have them facing the same way," said Williams. "It is going to be a continual process over the next month."
Williams also asks that residents make sure to place the piles on the curbs due to city workers and the EARU inmates not being able to step onto private property.
"Richard and Darin are out doing that today," said Williams. "We are providing our street crews with chainsaws."
Forrest City Code Enforcement Officer Chris Ray reported he had been out behind Jordan's Convenience Store on East Broadway removing items from the woods.
Ray also stressed the importance of residents separating their debris into piles.
"We've seen a lot of people remodeling houses who have put the debris under the limbs," said Ray. "They have to take care of the house debris on their own or get a dumpster. The city does not pick up remodeling debris. We can get the limbs, but not the debris."
He asked that other city directors notify him if they see debris from remodeling projects or other types of junk on property for pickup.
"It's the property owner's responsibility, and I can talk to them for items like that," said Ray.
Forrest City Human Resource Director Glynis Lynch reported the Department of Human Services had asked for the city to report job openings to them for the TANIF program that would pay for the city to have an employee for 90 days.
Water Department Director Edward Gregory said his agency
has plenty of openings, but he had not seen any applications sent from Workforce.
Smith said the two programs are different and that the DHS program is based on income with its own set of regulations.
Gregory also asked if tenants are responsible for items placed on the curb during a move or if the property owner of the apartments is responsible.
"Is there a difference between a tenant putting items they do not want to take with them and people dumping?" asked Gregory.
"It's just like the Housing Authority," said parks and recreation director Kenneth Taylor. "Anything left in those units it is their (HA) responsibility to move it."
"Yes. To me, it falls back on the property owner," said Ray. "That would be who I'd go talk to."
"I get people asking me all the time," said Gregory. "That's why I am asking."
Police Chief Deon Lee also reported the city is starting to see a problems with children and airsoft pellet guns.
"They could possibly be charged with assault if they shoot somebody," said Lee, adding that due to the appearance of the pellet guns it could be a dangerous situation for residents and officers at night.