Springtown to launch letter-writing campaign for reduced speed limits

SPRINGTOWN — At the suggestion of Alderman Chuck Bostwick, the Springtown council, at its Oct. 15 meeting, discussed starting a letterwriting campaign to get the Arkansas Highway 12 speed limit reduced inside the city limits.

Since the Arkansas Department of Transportation has declined to lower speed limits in the town, Bostwick suggested letters be written and sent to state representatives and senators to seek help in getting the speed limit reduced.

“If I write, they have to respond,” said Bostwick, adding that studies have shown that one letter equals a thousand votes.

“Someone is going to get killed on that corner,” said Alderman David Clark of the curve on the highway where it intersects with Old Springtown Road.

Because of the curve, it is difficult to see oncoming traffic or traffic which may be crossing or entering the roadway.

Another related hazard mentioned was the flooding of the highway which has occurred on the south side of the highway at the curve due to heavy rains and plugged culverts. Council members and others in attendance at the meeting spoke of traffic coming upon the flooded section at highway speeds and unaware of the water on the road ahead.

It was suggested that the state highway department clean out its culverts and ditches in the town to prevent an accident when heavy rains cause flooding on the highway.

Clark also suggested that the town enclose or add on to the structure in which it stores its tractor and equipment to protect the city’s equipment and prevent it from rusting. He suggested purchasing spare tires for the tractor in the event of a flat, but Mayor Terri Glenn suggested calling out a repair service in such an instance rather than buying and storing a spare front and rear tire.

The council passed a millage rate resolution keeping the millage rate at its current level of 5.0 mills for 2020. The action is necessary each year for the county to collect the tax for the town.

Mayor Glenn reported to the council that the town had filed a response to the appellee’s response in the Bredehoeft Road appeal. She said there was no update on the Bredehoeft Road project since the project was on hold, pending the result of the town’s appeal of a lower court decision denying the town’s attempt to overturn an earlier council’s action to narrow a street between Flint Creek and Bredehoeft Road which the town would like to open to through traffic.

She also reported that state and federal agencies are working on the Bredehoeft low-water bridge project. She said recent flooding had impacted the work because the bridge was under as much as 10 feet of water.

She said work was continuing on a petition to close some streets and alleys on the southeast side of the town. She said there was some question about the closing of part of Candleglow due to a fire hydrant there.

She said that the town had suffered significant damage at its low-water bridges due to recent flooding and mentioned the work of Vernon Reams on the town’s roads and the possibility of some federal funds to help with the cost of repairs.

The council said it would like to at least “look at” a possible ordinance to establish zoning in the town due to requests for various uses of land within the town.