Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emmet Council Ponders Problems With Railroad Crossing

Railroad crossing, look out for the cars, is a literal problem for motorist in Emmet.

The Emmet City Council, in its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, March 17, talked about problems with one crossing in particular, the first coming into town from Hope on Highway 67.

Emmet Mayor Dale Booker said this is the direction most of the trains come from since Union Pacific purchased the Cotton Belt line, though there are some hot runs going the other way.

There is no protection at this crossing, he said, and it is creating dangerous situations.

Booker met with Bill Ryan, a representative of UP, on the matter, along with a representative of the Arkansas Highway Commission. The discussion revolved around getting a gate put at the crossing for safety purposes.

UP's idea was to close the crossing, but, as Booker said, Emmet is growing and the crossing is needed. UP then agreed to leave the crossing alone.

The highway commission agreed to help get a crossing gate at the site, and will work to see Emmet put at the top of the list for one.

The gate, Booker said, will cost about $200,000. He continued, saying Emmet residents need to contact their state and federal representatives to see if this matter can be expedited quickly. Time is of the essence as the AHC will meet March 31.

The only problem with Emmet getting a crossing would be if the commission could find a place it could place two such crossings for the same money elsewhere.

"It looks good here," he said. "If we're approved, it could be three years before the crossing gate is installed."

UP officials asked if the council would consider putting a stop sign at this location as a temporary measure.

While it could be done on the south side of the tracks, the north side comes off Hwy. 67 and a stop sign there would impede traffic, and create another hazard.

Nothing was promised concerning the stop signs.

Booker also talked about the proposed 9-1-1 emergency telephone system being considered in Nevada County.

Several years ago, he said, Charles Ray Cross had most of the work done, but it can't be found now.

In the past, he continued, the law allowed the phone company to collect only 5.5 percent to fund 9-1-1 systems and this wouldn't have generated enough money to pay for the service in the county at the time.

However, the law has been changed to allow phone companies to charge 12 percent for 9- 1-1 systems, and this will generate the necessary funds to operate and maintain the service.

In Emmet, phone bills would be raised $1.84 per month to help defray the cost of the 9-1- 1 equipment and service.

Booker said it's a good thing because even children have learned about 9-1-1 from television programs.

At a recent intergovernmental meeting, he said, the area mayors and Nevada County Judge agreed to try and get the issue to the people for a vote.

The Nevada County Quorum Court will have to approve a resolution concerning 9-1-1, and then a special election will be held on the matter.

Should the issue pass, the county's two phone companies (Southwestern Bell and GTE) will begin collecting money for the equipment.

The funds will be collected and turned back to the county when enough has been raised. Then the equipment will be installed at the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.

All county road addresses will be changed under 9-1-1, he said, making the mapping more consistent on how roads are numbered and located.

Booker said it will cost about $175,000 to get 9-1-1 up and running and will take about three years to do.

By and large, he said, there are no negatives to 9-1-1 systems.

Plans for having the city's extra water well dug have been completed and presented to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) for approval.

Nothing can be done, Booker said, until the ADH gives its approval. Once this occurs, a cost study will be done to see if there is enough money in the current loans and grants to get the job done.

If there is, he said, bids will be let and the well will be drilled.

There were some changes made in laying the new water line, moving them around the Eagles Nest. Booker said Mike Otwell, owner of the Nest, opposed having the lines cross his land, so they were moved.

According to Booker, the changes will make it easier as the lines will now run north on First Street and go to Hwy. 67 south.

Ben Dougan, a property owner along the new line, agreed to grant easement for the water system.

According to a letter from Christian and Ward, the engineering company handling the water system work, the job is 41 percent complete, while 51 percent of the time has elapsed as of March 1.

Because the contractor's crews haven't been cleaning up as they go, an additional 10 percent of their money is being held up by the city.

The contractor, Booker said, is paid per foot of pipe laid, but this means laid, placed, covered, cleaned and tested.

Until all the cleanup work has been done, the 10 percent will be withheld.

The levees on the city's sewer pond are eroding, Booker said, and need to be repaired.

While they look normal on the outside, closer inspection shows a sharp drop-off at the water's edge .

The city needs to repair these levees as it can, he said.

In addition, the city's sewer system has been picking up ground water. This is not an uncommon problem, Booker said, but it is a problem.

There are instances where houses have been destroyed, or people moved and left open sewer lines. These lines, he said, pick up rain, but the city needs to locate and plug them.

Should the problem continue, the city will smoke the lines to find leaks and plug them.

The Arkansas Rural Water Commission, he said, will help with the smoking.

A slab has been poured for the city's new generator, with work underway to get electrical services rerouted and ran underground to the switching gear and pump station.

The city will buy a metal building to house the generator in and keep it out of the weather. The building will be open on two sides, though, to help prevent sweating.

Sweating could be a problem as the 12-inch slab was poured with no visqueen used to prevent this problem. The council agreed if the slab does sweat there are ways it can be stopped before it can cause problems for the generator.

The council, to show appreciation for Constable James Osborne's efforts in law enforcement, agreed to buy him two tanks of gas per month, with Osborne turning in receipts to show the costs.

Booker said there has been political friction between Emmet's constable and the NCSO, with Osborne banned from using the sheriff's radio frequency. But, he continued, this matter may be resolved an be more harmonious now