Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emmet vies for grants

Grants and the city's sewer system were the top two topics of conversation during the March 13 meeting of Emmet City Council.

Emmet Mayor Dale Booker told the council the city is currently working on three grant proposals, and he is optimistic about the prospects for two of them.

One of the grants would provide a percentage of the cost of a new fire station and the city council agreed to begin looking into the purchase of a city lot for a fire station.

Booker said he would be willing to donate enough land to the city to build a new station, but the land he was referring to is adjacent to the railroad tracks. If there were a train derailment, the station would be in jeopardy, Booker pointed out.

Booker said he believes the wiser move would be to have a new station located at least a few blocks from the train tracks.

The council members said they agree with that reasoning and told the mayor to begin looking at lots that would be suitable for a new fire station. Booker reminded the council there would only be a need to move forward if the city is awarded a grant to help with the cost of the station.

The state grant would pay about 75 percent of the cost of a new fire station, and that would include the cost of the land. Booker said the city could also provide some labor toward the project, if the grant is approved, and the labor would also count toward the city's share of the cost of the project.

The city is also working on a grant from the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Booker said. This grant would pay for a walking track in the city, and Booker said he is optimistic about the city's chances for this grant.

The grant would pay 80 percent of the cost, leaving the city to pay the balance. Booker said city equipment used to work on the project, city labor and even volunteer labor toward the track would be counted in the city's 20 percent of the total cost of the project.

Plans are being developed for the grant application and Booker said the track could be under fence to help with security issues.

On the subject of the city's sewer system, Booker said inspections are still being done on the system in an effort to identify all leaks in the city. There have been a large number of open pipes discovered that allow surface water to enter the city's sewer system. This surface water puts a strain on the system, multiplying the amount of water that must be processed.

Property owners are notified if a problem is discovered on private property and the owners are being given an opportunity to rectify the leaks on their own. If the situation has not been solved by the time the city returns for a follow-up inspection, the city will make the repairs and have the owners pay for the cost, Booker said.