Itchy topic: to spray or not

The discussion regarding whether to begin spraying for mosquitoes within the Rector city limits continued during Monday night's council meeting. After much discussion, the council decided to invite residents to attend a special meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 to make a decision on the matter.

Should residential support be strong in favor of spraying, the item could be included on the May primary, wherein residents could vote on the matter.

The cost of spraying would likely be offset by adding a $2 or $3 charge to residents' water bills.

Council member Teresa Roofe, while supporting the general effort to do something about mosquitoes in the community, voiced concern regarding the additional cost.

"I really don't want to upset anyone with this," Roofe said. "With the way things are, people might not be able to afford an extra dollar or two on their water bill."

Alderman Cam Cate suggested inviting residents to the meeting in order to gauge their feelings on the matter.

"Let's put our numbers together, invite the public, and see how they feel," Cate said.

The aldermen and mayor Ron Kemp all agreed that it should be a community decision and that the elected body simply wants to go along with the will of the residents on this issue.

Airport Maintenance Bids

The council opened bids for a project at the Rector Municipal Airport. The project is split into two parts or "schedules". The first includes the purchase and installation of a new beacon. The second involves the addition of a sidewalk and a trench for increased drainage.

A total of five companies provided bids on the project. After opening the bids, the council accepted the low bids of $9,419 from Olympus Construction of Jonesboro for the beacon project and $11,550 from Redstone Construction Group of Little Rock for the sidewalk and trench work. The acceptance of these bids is contingent upon the approval of the city engineer, as well as their compliance with the bid requirements.

Bids were also received from R.L. Persons Construction of Polar Bluff, Rick McGinty Company of Greenbrier and Broadway Electric of Forest City.

Property Issues

Louie Cordell spoke to the council regarding his efforts to purchase the property at 818 East Seventh Street. The property had previously been condemned by the council. Cordell told the council he planned to remodel the property once it was purchased, in order to bring it up to code. Cordell said he had already done a lot of work to the structure.

The council members were pleased to hear something was being done with the property, and tabled its condemnation pending the sale to Cordell.

Improvements are continuing on the 701 McNabb property, as per the agreement made between the owner and the council.

City superintendent Todd Watson said he had been told by owners the 115 North Fairview property would be torn down in the immediate future.

The condemnation process on 201 McNabb was tabled for another month, as the property continues to be part of an ongoing legal dispute between its owners.

Economic Development Update

Resolution 2010-02 was approved, allowing the City of Rector to apply for a grant from the United States Agricultural Department for use to purchase the Northeast Arkansas Innovative Training Center building, with the hopes for additional funding for the purchase of the two adjacent buildings, the former Earls' Heating and Appliance and Pearl's Beauty Shop. The application is seeking $300,000 from the USDA Rural Enterprise Grant.

Should the city not receive the full amount for which it applied, the hopes will center around one key goal.

"If we don't get the full amount, then our top priority is buying the NEAITC building," mayor Ron Kemp said. "That's what we're really focusing on."

According to Kemp, the city is currently leasing the building for $800 per month with an option to buy, as well as paying the insurance and taxes on the property.

Kemp told the council he believed the recent tour of the facility, which included a visit from members of the governor's office, went well.

Progress has also been made on the historic jail property. Kemp said he believed the work at the site should be wrapped up in the next four to six weeks.

Ditch Spraying

The council heard from Scott Bucy in regards to his efforts to receive the proper certification to spray herbicides in city ditches. Bucy said he would be taking a licensing test on March 23, which would determine whether he could obtain the proper certification. Bucy said he already has insurance which cover the project.

With no immediate need to act on the matter, the council tabled the discussion until next month's meeting.

Police Report

Rector Police Department chief Glenn Leach told the council his department had issued 41 citations during the month of February. The RPD also collected $9,235 in fines during the month.

The matter of enforcing the payment of fines continues to be an ongoing discussion.

"I'd like to see us be as aggressive as we can realistically be (in collecting outstanding fines)" Kemp said.

City attorney Kimberley Dale is also looking into the best method of enforcing fine payments.

In other business, the council:

* Approved the minutes from the February meeting.

* Approved the recommendation of fire chief Huston Bowden to appoint Heath Haywood to the Rector Fire Department.