Page 2 - PROGRESS.3.9

2C — EL DORADO NEWS-TIMES
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Towns: Continued from Page 1C
flood waters typically do not reach the top of the tram road.
“It’s higher than flood waters, usually, but it (the water) did almost come up to the road the last time, so we want to make preparations for if that would eventually happen,” Newberry said.
She said Union County has agreed to assist with the project and the county is already assisting by cutting back trees and pledging to haul in gravel.
“We’re counting on the county to help us and I know (County Judge Mike Loftin) is going to help us,” she said.
In extreme flooding, even the Huttig route is closed and the county assists by clearing a path through a wooded area, Newberry said.
“But that’s a long way off right now. That only happens when the water gets high enough,” she said.
Newberry said the community is looking forward to its annual Bream Festival, which is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. The event includes loads of activities, including a popular bream tournament.
Newberry said Felsenthal was recently a target in a rash of fraudulent check scams that have struck more than 40 municipalities and school districts throughout the state.
She reported that someone forged her signature to what appeared to be a city- issued check for $3,000.
In January, the Arkansas Municipal League warned of the scheme and offered recommendations to combat it, including the use of an automated fraud detection tool called Positive Pay.
Newberry said Felsenthal was reimbursed for the fraudulent check.
A project that is also in the works for Felsenthal
is the development of a system to compile the town’s history.
Over the years, people have donated materials, including old newspaper clippings, photos and maps, denoting the town’s history.
Newberry said town officials plan to reach out to the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society to assist with the project when time allows.
Huttig
Mayor Tony Cole said he is thankful to have been elected last fall to a third term to continue serving the city of Huttig and he is calling on the community to bring “bigger and better things” to the city in 2019.
With an aging infrastructure that Cole jokingly said is older than him, the city’s water system underwent a major overhaul in 2018.
The $2.5 million project included the installation of new locatable valves and shut-off valves, so when an issue arises, the problem area can be isolated and shut off for repair, Cole explained.
“You don’t have to turn the whole town’s water off. You used to have to turn the water off for the whole town when things like that happened.”
With new automated water meters, the system can be remotely turned off and on from City Hall. He said more than 400 new meters were installed for residential and commercial customers.
Cole noted that Strong Mayor Daryell Howell assisted with providing information about resources that are available for the improvements, having headed up a similar project, though on a smaller scale, in Huttig’s sister city.
In addition to better serving water customers, Cole pointed out, “We spent not one red cent of (the) city’s money. It was a total, grant-funded project.”
More grant money was
used in 2018 to complete $250,000 of street paving, which covered 2.5 miles, or as Cole noted, “half of Huttig.”
The city has already applied for another Arkansas Aid City Street Program to complete improvements for the other half of city streets.
Another state grant in the amount of $45,000 paid for a project to improve the city park on the north side of town. Cole said a portion of the basketball courts were converted to tennis courts and new playground equipment and pavilion were installed.
The work also included new basketball goals with a lifetime warranty, a volleyball net and sand, cooking grills and a parking lot with ADA accessibility.
“That’s the first time we’ve ever had a parking lot at that park and we plan to add onto it,” Cole said.
The city is also making headway on an eight-year process to purchase the old Huttig school building.
With deeds now in hand and asbestos testing completed — Cole said city officials are awaiting a report —, the mayor
said he will now seek approval from the Huttig City Council to repair the building and redevelop the old field house into a 24-hour community fitness center. Cole said those who want to use the center would pay a fee that will go toward the upkeep of the building and use a keycard to enter the facility.
City officials learned that the roof in the gym can be repaired and a new floor laid. Cole said the city is exploring available grants to cover the work.
“We would like to make it available for recreational purposes, big funerals, family reunions ...,” he said. “We’re looking to repair the auditorium for family reunions and the local (lumber) mill used to use it, so we would like to see if they will use it for the classes they have to take and local resources that they have to have.”
The city is also in the process of claiming 7.1 acres of land behind Huttig Cemetery, with plans to expand the cemetery, Cole said.
“The paperwork is done and agreements have already been made. The company that owns the timber went in and cut
the timber and they pretty much sold the land to us as a gift,” he said. “It’s already in the hands of their lawyer. It’s been a long process, but now, we’re nearing the end of it.”
More infrastructure improvements are also on tap for this year. Cole said plans are being drawn for wastewater and drainage upgrades for the city.
Cole thanked his family, the city’s administrative staff and city council for their hard work in helping to make the town of nearly 600 a better place to live, noting that all residents benefit from Huttig’s success.
“I’m only here to make Huttig better. Right now, the mayor is the best source to move the town forward. My position carries the weight as the city executive, the council members carry the position as legislators. Those are big terms, but all that means is that we are the voice of the people. This is their town,” Cole said.
Junction City
Junction City dealt with some internal issues earlier this year when newly re-elected Mayor
Allen Simmons resigned suddenly in January, citing personal reasons.
Simmons submitted a letter of resignation on Jan. 26. Two days later, the Junction City Council met, accepted the resignation and, in an executive session, appointed Steve Williams to serve as interim mayor until the city’s next mayoral election in 2022.
Williams was the Ward 3 council member for almost 10 years before taking on the interim position. In taking the vacant slot, a new vacancy was opened for the Ward 3, position 2 council seat and Richard McDonald was appointed to serve as interim until the 2020 election.
Williams was unable to be reached for comment on what Junction City can expect looking forward. When a reporter contacted Junction City Hall to try and find out some developments from the past year, a city official who declined to give their name said the town lost its volunteer ambulance service in 2018.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870- 862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.
El Dorado looks to keep moving forward
New mayor and planned projects hope
to improve area
By Tia Lyons
Staff Writer
The city of El Dorado is coming off a year that included a historic mayoral election, the completion of several improvement projects and a slight increase in sales tax revenues after a few years of flatlines and decreases.
And while there were some disappointments — namely, the relocation of a major, state- sponsored event — city officials have said the positives outweighed the negatives in 2018 and they
remain optimistic about the new year in El Dorado.
New mayor takes office
When Mayor Veronica Smith- Creer reported for her first day of work at City Hall, she brought a new look, as well as a new decor, to the mayor’s office.
Smith-Creer is the first African- American and first woman to serve as mayor of El Dorado and since she took office Jan. 1, she has carried on her campaign slogan by calling on the community to “join the movement” to help make the city a better place to live.
Recapping her first 60-plus days in office, Smith-Creer said the job has been “refreshingly overwhelming.”
“I’m still learning. That will be an ongoing thing, but these two months have given me a better direction of where I want this administration to go,” she said.
She lauded the support of her family and friends, the community, city administrative staff, the El Dorado City Council and others in helping her along.
Her win broke boundaries on other fronts, giving the city its first, first man in husband Bobby Creer and the first African- American and first man to serve as administrative assistant in the mayor’s office in Pierce Moore.
One of Smith-Creer’s first orders
See CITY, Page 3C
File Photo
Embrace: Veronica Smith-Creer hugs a supporter at her victory party the night she won the El Dorado mayoral race.
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