Two city committees met Tuesday and recommended to the City Council that a contract to demolish a downtown building be accepted and that a citizens committee be set up to make recommendations on code violations.
Both meetings were held in a city shed behind the old National Guard Armory.
The Sanitation Committee was chaired by Alderwoman Latanza Atkins, with committee member Alderman Joel Tolefree. Alderwoman Angela Marshall was not present. Also present were Mayor Gregg Reep, Building/Code Enforcement Officer Rob Johnson, Secretary Kim Burkhart and Administrative Assistant Charlotte Tenner-Brown.
Top photo: The collapsing interior of the old Bryant’s furniture store building on Main Street is Warren is seen from the sidewalk through a window that has busted out. Photo by Saline River Chronicle.
The committee recommended that a contract be accepted from T&T Construction for $69,000 to demolish the Bryant’s Building. No timeframe was indicated on when they will occur.
Other bids were presented from Simmons and Sons Construction, $120,000, and Dirtco Inc., $123,000.
Johnson said the city may be able to salvage some materials. He indicated there would be no asbestos abatement as he had declared the building to be unsafe and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality had inspected the building. An ADEQ inspector will be onsite during the demolition with water to be made available. County Judge Klay McKinney has said the county has agreed to dispose of the materials in the county landfill, according to the mayor.
The full City Council will vote on the committee’s recommendation on Monday.
In other action:
- The committee recommended that a citywide cleanup day be set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 29. Keep Arkansas Beautiful will provide trash bags and other materials and the city will make a large trash bin available.
- Johnson said Blankenship Court was in the process of being sold. He said the new owner has agreed to bring the property up to code and clean it up.
- The committee recommended that a citizens advisory committee be set up to make recommendations to the City Council on dilapidated structures, grown-up lots and other code violations. Reep said he will draft a written administrative procedure to be presented to the council.
The Street Committee met earlier in the evening, with Chairwoman Emily Moseley and members Tolefree and Atkins. Reep, Tenner-Brown and Sanitation Foreman Monty Hearnsberger were also present.
The committee addressed the issue of citizens parking on the streets and creating traffic hazards. Reep noted that current ordinances allow the council to designate any street as a no parking zone if such signs are posted. He also said parking the wrong way on a street “is a danger and is illegal.”
Moseley suggested that the ordinance should be amended to increase fines for parking in no-parking zones from $10 to $100 and to add Elm Street as a no-parking area. The committee will also examine streets to see if others should be added before the amended ordinance is presented to the council.
In other action:
- The committee recommended that street cuts be increased in price to $225 for a half-cut and $350 to a full cut and have utility companies fix the cuts to the city’s specifications. Other cities charge the following amounts for half-cuts and full-cuts: Monticello, $250, $500; Hamburg, $250, $500; Star City, $350; Camden, $1,000.
- A motion was approved to recommend an amended ordinance to prohibit burning in ditches and right-of-ways.
- Street paving projects were considered, although no recommendations were made. Among the suggested streets were: Lyn Street, Cook Street (grant applied for), Ward 1; part of Cedar Street, Maple Street (fixing drainage before paving), Lee Street, Bragg Street, John C. Moss Street, Ward 2; Pope Street, Ward 3.
- The committee recommended purchase of a dump truck from federal surplus for $7,500.