Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Radios To Be Bought For GFD

There will be 20 new radios purchased for the Gurdon Fire Department.

The Gurdon City Council, at its regular monthly meeting Monday, March 8, voted to buy the new radios from Bates Communication of Mount Ida.

One other bid was received for the system, from Arkansas Valley Communications of Russellville.

However, the bid from Bates was lower by a total of $1,051.40 overall, which led to the approval of the council.

Both bids were required to include trade in prices to be considered. Bates' bid before trade in was $15,459, while Arkansas Valley's submission was $12,680.

But, Bates allowed a total of $5930.40 for the 20 radios Gurdon would be trading in while Arkansas Valley would give $105 per radio for trade in, or $2,100.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith will draft a letter to the Clark County Quorum Court asking the county's governing body to cover the cost of these radios. He said under the ordinance for the county's one-cent sales tax a provision states part of the money is to be used to fund the Gurdon Ambulance Department.

However, the city's ambulance service was disbanded three years ago. Still, Smith said, the city does have fire and police departments which need help, as the city's capital improvement fund is being depleted with no new money coming in. This fund was originally created through a bond issue so the city could buy a new fire truck.

Smith said the Gurdon Police Department is also needing new radios and the city should be able to get them at the same price as the ones for the fire department.

On the topic of the GFD, two new members were approved by the board. Mitch Nolen, a paramedic with Baptist Medical, and John Jester, an EMTA with Baptist, were hired.

Nolen is a certified firefighter and is certified as a training officer.

Both, Smith said, are welcome additions to the department.

Those working the concession stand this baseball season have reason to rejoice.

The city had an energy grant for $3,797 approved through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission for the purchase of a new air conditioning system at Cabe Field.

Smith will go to Little Rock Thursday, March 18, to get the check from Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The new air conditioner will be installed by the time Little League season rolls around.

Residents in the Greenville community were assured by the mayor the water project for their area is progressing.

He said the city received the permit from Union Pacific Railroad, at a cost of $500, and license to bore beneath the railroad crossings, at $1,500 per crossing, with three involved.

This, he added, is a new project and not part of the recently completed Gurdon Rural Water Project. Next, bids will have to be let to get a contractor, while easements will have to be signed by the property owners involved.

At this time, Smith said, the Greenville area is not in line to be annexed. This is partially because no petition for annexation has been presented to the council and also due to the fact it is not economically feasible for the city to run sewer lines to the region.

While water projects are expensive, he said, they are nothing compared to sewer systems. Sewer projects must be laid on grade.

He pointed out the area down Highway 53 discussed annexation, but after an engineer looked at the region in question, it was learned providing sewer there would cost $1.2 million.

In other business, it was pointed out the GPD now has new cabinets in the dispatch area and evidence room. The cabinets in the evidence room, though, have locks, while the others don't.

This is for security reasons to protect any evidence seized by the police for their appearance in court.

The GFD has ordered a new bumper and winch for the rescue unit's truck.

Smith voiced displeasure with UP Railroad, saying the company has "seen to remove itself from the community." This is because trash from the depot is being placed outside, but the bag isn't tied and the garbage is blown around by the wind.

Calls to UP's public relations department have, to date, been fruitless, as no one will own up to being responsible for the station's upkeep and making sure the garbage is properly disposed of.

A new grant is being sought for Lowe Field, the city's airport, through the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics.

This is a 90-10 matching grant, with the city's part of the $170,000 coming from a grant from the Cabe Foundation.

If approved, the money will be used to do a two-inch overlay over the entire runway, with the first 300-foot section getting a total of four-inches.

The city had been fighting to get legislation passed to allow garbage to be transported across waste district boundaries. This was done because the Saline County Landfill had filed suit to prevent the Southwest Regional Solid Waste Management District from taking its waste to BFI's landfill in Little Rock.

The management district is composed of Clark, Garland and Hot Spring counties. Smith said the area's legislators fought hard and got the measure passed. It was officially signed into law March 1, by Huckabee.

A recycling committee will be spearheaded by former Mayor Daryl Potratz. A meeting to recruit volunteers will be held at noon, Tuesday, March 16, at City Hall.

Councilman Johnny McGuirt brought up the topic of loud music and harassment at 5th Street, saying the police are called regularly, but when they leave, the situation reverts the way it was.

Gurdon City Marshal David Childres said his officers are doing all they can, but if they don't hear the music, or no one files a complaint, there is little they can do.

However, if the same subjects are found at the scene a second time, he said, they can be cited for loitering.

Childres said the situation is the same at 5th and Seahorn as at 5th and Miller.