Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Court approves millages, gets economic update

Little happened at the monthly meeting of the Nevada County Quorum Court Thursday, Nov. 14.

In fact, the only action the court took was to approve the annual millage rates for the county and cities therein so the funds can be collected.

Otherwise, the meeting was dominated by an economic update by Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office.

One of the topics discussed was the old Nevada County Hospital.

Arval Mason, justice of the peace, asked if the city would be taking the hospital off the county's hands.

"We're at a place where the hospital is just a hole we're pouring money in," he said. "We've tried three times to give the hospital to the city. We need to do something with it, if it' s just dozing it and selling the land."

Chadwell said as long as it's standing he's going to continue marketing the hospital building and trying to fill it.

Two prospects looked at the hospital recently, he said, and are interested in keeping some of the equipment still there, should they locate there.

One of the prospects is interested in the facility, but must first get it certified before a contract will be signed.

"This is where we're at now," Chadwell said.

On the rural water project, Chadwell said easements are still the only thing holding it up.

Volunteers got 35-40 easements signed and letters have been sent to those who haven't signed yet. The letters, Chadwell said, will explain to the property owner what the easement is worth.

"A lot of people think they'll be getting thousands of dollars, but most of the easements are worth less than $100. I hope most people will go ahead and sign."

There are those, he said, who have said they won't sign regardless. For those owners, the land will either have to be condemned under eminent domain, or the plans may have to be altered to avoid their property altogether.

Once the easement situation is concluded, bids can be let 15 days afterwards and construction can begin soon thereafter.

Getting easements signed, Chadwell said, has held the project up for six months.

For the industrial park project, he said bids will soon be let and construction could begin in early 2003.

"If we have a mild winter, we could have someone in there by the first of summer," he said.

Plans for recertifying for the Arkansas Community of Excellence (ACE) program have been completed and sent to Little Rock for evaluation.

These plans detail what the city and county plan to do to improve in the next three years.

Three years from now, Chadwell said, the EDO will work to certify the entire county as an ACE county. This is something new the Arkansas Department of Economic Development is doing.

The documents sent to Little Rock were 111 pages long and covered plans for the entire county.