Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Complaints levies on new streets

It didn't take long for residents to begin complaining about the street project.

At the Nov. 15 meeting of the Prescott City Council, two residents from Newtown talked about problems in that section of town because of the streets. Dale Gulley and Vern Clay said the streets are more narrow now than they were before.

Gulley said when vehicles meet, one has to slow down so the other can pass, or take the ditch to avoid a wreck.

Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said this was the first section of town paved under the project, and the contractor has been informed about the problems. The street, he said, was narrow to begin with, but there are places where the old pavement is still visible on the sides, and the turnouts aren't wide enough, which forces people to swing wide when they turn.

Joe Heath, superintendent of the Prescott Street Department, is looking into this and working with the contractor to get the situation corrected. Chadwell pointed out the streets can't be widened, partially because of the cost, and also because of the problems it would cause with the ditches.

According to Chadwell, none of the streets in Prescott follow a uniform width. But, he added, the contractor will be required to add the pavement needed to get the street as wide as it originally was, and the city's street department can build up the shoulders somewhat.

The Council approved an ordinance requiring anyone digging up the streets to have a permit and be bonded, if a bond is required. This was done because of the concern of the streets being cut by other utility companies or contractors. Anyone cutting into the street must pay for the repairs, and the repairs must be approved by the city.

Violating the ordinance will result in a fine of $250 per day until the situation is corrected. In most instances, said Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor, the permits will be about $150.

There were questions about the ordinance, as the wording seemed to let the city off the hook as far as making repairs. However, City Attorney Glenn Vasser said this is normal and the city will be responsible for repairing any damage it causes to the streets.

Vasser said when Centerpoint Energy-Arkla repaired its pipes, the company neither notified the city nor repaired the damage its crews did to the streets. Because of situations such as this, the ordinance is needed.

Chadwell, in his report to the Council, said it's the busy season for the Partnership, as the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce has a lot of event planned for the Christmas holidays.

Currently, he said, a new radio commercial is in the works to get people to shop locally more. By supporting local merchants, the city derives more tax money and everybody wins.

The new fire station/parks office, he said, should be done by the end of December and will be nice when the construction has been completed. Once everything is in place, a ribbon cutting will be held to dedicate it.

Prescott, he said, was one of two cities in Arkansas to pass a tax last year for street work. The other was Gurdon. But, he added, street projects aren't without difficulties. "We've asked people to bring us their concerns so we'll know where we need to go back to."

The overpass project, he said, will be a reality, however, the transportation bill won't be signed by the President until 2005. But, he added, once the bill is signed, work will begin and the project could be completed within six years.

The home repair project has taken off in the city, Chadwell said. In fact, the company doing the work in the city has more applications than it can fund. Work should start on the homes approved around the first of the new year.

There were 51 applicants for the program, which has $400,000 to do the renovation work with. Homeowners could get repairs made up to $25,000, while homes needing to be rebuilt could get up to $80,000. Of this, though, $40,000 would be in a forgivable grant, while the rest would be in a long term low interest loan (20 years at 1 percent).

The sidewalk project is almost done, but, he added, sometimes with such projects getting them finished is almost as hard as getting them started.

The Council approved purchasing a heavy-duty trailer from Big Tex Equipment of Mt. Pleasant, Texas, for $15,000. This trailer will be used to move the city's heavy equipment around. Currently the city has to rent a trailer at a cost of $500 each time.

Taylor said the Council had proposed budgets for 2005, but Carl Dalrymple, city accountant, said he'd be more comfortable if the Council didn't approve it until January, as there are some unknowns at this time.

However, Dalrymple was blunt in telling the Council there will be no extra money available, and cuts may have to be made to the proposed budget.