Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Delays Slow Construction At Rosston

Weather-related delays have prevented construction Rosston's new fire department building.

Rosston Mayor Lewis Jackson, during the regular monthly meeting of the Rosston City Council Thursday, Dec. 7, said the rains from Thanksgiving kept HCC Construction Co. from getting the building up.

However, the slab has been poured and is curing.

J.D. Luck, Rosston water superintendent, told the council he had talked with a secretary with HCC and the company plans to begin work on the building this week, again weather permitting.

According to Luck, the secretary said the crews could get the building put up in a day's time.

Jackson expressed doubt in this being done, and wondered aloud if they meant the steel skeleton would be in place in one day.

The council also approved budgets for the city and water department for 2001. A copy of the approved water budget will be sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as required by law.

Under the proposed budget, the anticipated revenue for the water department will be $87,000.

The anticipated expenses will be $41,604.40, leaving a net profit of $45,395.60.

The expenses include payments to the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission, debt service reserve, debt service fund, depreciation reserve, DPC (the company Rosston purchases chlorine from for water treatment), water meters, miscellaneous supplies, labor, digital water and employee insurance, along with $10,000 for extra labor.

The proposed budget for the city's general fund is $35,000.

Jackson said the water budget was increased by about $7,000 for 2001.This is partially because the council earlier approved a 2 percent increase in water rates.

He said there has also been an increase in overall revenue in general.

This budget, he said, may have to be amended later on when the water department buys the current fire station, and more money may need to be placed in the budget for miscellaneous supplies.

The Rosston VFD will receive $4,192.42 in Act 833 money this year.

Fire chief Johnny Jenson said this money has been earmarked to help pay for the new fire station.

Overall the VFD received $12,000 in 2000, with all of it dedicated to the fire station.

The new fire station, Jackson reminded the council, will be little more than a shell of a building as the interior won't be finished out, and the plumbing will be roughed in.

He said the city will finish the building, and could possibly get help from the volunteer firemen.

The council, he continued, can hold meetings in the new building if it so desires, or keep holding them at the existing city hall.

The representative from the Insurance Service Organization (ISO), will delayed visiting Rosston until the new station has been built and the newest truck is in place there.

Depending on the outcome of the ISO inspection, Rosston's VFD could be dropped to a class 8 department. This will translate into savings for homeowners on their fire insurance policies.

Because the new city secretary will be taking night college classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the council agreed to move its regular meeting date from the first Thursday in each month to the first Monday monthly.

However, the council had to override this and change the January meeting from the first Monday to the second Monday as the first Monday is New Year's Day.

All meetings will continue beginning at 6:30 p.m.