The Blytheville Parks and Recreation Committee clawed through a long agenda Thursday evening and passions flared. Director Elroy Brown informed the committee that the city will be providing dirt for the soccer fields and had already tapped into an existing water line to run water to its concession stand. The water will also be used to irrigate soccer fields once the dirt work and seeds are laid.
"So whether there is going to be a soccer season or not, if I've got anything to do with it we will have one," Brown said.
Brown also said that he had met with the Department of Arkansas Park and Tourism (APT) and that he was waiting on a confirmation letter before work could begin on the Williams Park project. He is hopeful that it will be completed before summer's end. He also discussed applying for a 2017 matching grant from APT and a $35,000 non-matching APT trail grant for Williams Park.
"My intentions is...a bathroom and concession stand out by the soccer field ($50,000)...also included in that grant will be a pavilion over at Walker Park ($10,000)...[I'm] also looking at the playground impact material ($10,000)," Brown said.
The committee recommended him speak with civic groups to gauge interest in re-sponsoring the pavilion.
"I think we need to start looking at the people that are willing to invest into our community to see what they want to do...I understand grants are supposedly free money, but I think we need to...give the people an opportunity to re-invest into the community to make the things better outside of city funds," Hartsfield said.
"Kevin [Snow] do you want to contact Nucor and see if they want to sponsor," Brown asked.
"No, I think we ought to go back to the civic groups first. They are the ones that originally put it there. I think we ought to go back to them. We hit Nucor all the time for things and I think we need to give somebody else an opportunity to step forward if they want to," Hartsfield added. "I don't think that we need to continue to invest over here in this little park when we have a major project over here...I think we need to see where we are on that before we spend anther $35,000 over here in Williams Park. I'm not opposed to upkeeping our parks, but ...we're going to need all the money we can get to put into that thing."
"But now the grant that he talking about in Williams Park, you ain't got to put up no matching money," Jones said. "Why would you miss the opportunity for one that you ain't got to put up nothing for...I could see your point if your putting up money, but if you're not putting up anything."
"The projected thing that the mayor gave to us is a couple million dollars out there at Thunder Bayou," Hartsfield said.
"I think I can clear this up. He's not saying don't apply for it. He's saying, don't necessarily use Williams Park when you do apply for it. Maybe use Thunder Bayou when you apply," Snow explained.
A prolonged debate and heated argument ensued. Snow then asked why Williams Park hasn't been completed and expressed confusion.
"I think that we need to be more clear on when and how these grants are funded...I was under the impression that if we apply for it and get it, we start work right then. Because they have approved our plans and we get the money as soon as the job is completed. You said that once we complete it they inspect it and they give us the 50 percent back. Nobody said that it takes until next year," Snow said.
Snow said that he wasn't sure who left the council in the dark, but that nevertheless they were "in the dark" on a few things along the way.
"We did everything that we were supposed to do," Brown said.
"I'm not saying that you knew and didn't tell us...that is why I said we needed to be clearer," Snow said.
"All we can do is apply and like I say, the things that we can control we're going to control...with any grant they give you an estimated time; they don't give you an exact date," Brown said.
Jones said that he didn't see anything that Brown could do until they send the confirmation letter and accused the other councilmen of putting pressure on Brown.
"They (ADT) don't [even] know. They go by money availability. The money comes from the tobacco settlement," Brown explained.
"Here is my question to you, have you started work on Williams Park?" Hartsfield asked.
Brown said that he had not, but that a representative from APT had visited city officials last week and told them to wait.
"Zach Thomas met with myself and John Callens and we asked him what it is that we need to do and when we can get started. After the meeting he said that he would go back and...send...a confirmation letter," Brown explained.
"And that confirmation letter will answer everything that we are arguing about right now," Jones added. "Because the first time that you go out and use some of that money and then it don't come up to the criteria that you've done gone on and then they might go ahead and reject some of the stuff."
Hartsfield countered, "You are saying that the money is secured but we haven't started working because we are still waiting for them to approve something that they have already approved last year in December."
Councilman Tommy Abbott agreed, "Yeah, you gave them a plan back in December that they approved."
"He's steadily telling you that he is waiting on a confirmation letter," Jones countered.
"We've got a confirmation letter already in December," Hartsfield said. "Here is what I'd like...I would like all communications between you and Arkansas Parks and Tourism. Because somehow or another I don't understand what has happened in this grant."
Jones said, "He doing everything that he can."
"I want to make sure that everything is being done right," Hartsfield said.
"Then you can pick up the phone and call him," Jones responded. "You are steadily trying to put pressure on him [Brown]."
Both Abbott and Snow interjected, "That's his job!"
Jones said that they should let Brown do his job and Hartsfield argued that Brown had not explained his job well enough.
Snow asked if a 2017 application would be affected if the prior year's project was not yet completed. Brown said it would not.
"How do we know? Is that written somewhere from the state," Snow asked. "Lets get that in writing."
Hartsfield explaining his questioning, "My other concern is...we are no longer a community that can support every park that we have in this town. We are no longer a community that needs to have a park for every neighborhood. At some point we need to start saying...this is going to be our main park now...we can't support six parks any more."
Then Brown argued that the $35,000 grant would not cost the city any money and Hartsfield explained that it would if they have to spend $35,000 at Thunder Bayou when it could have come from that grant.
"We cannot support all the parks in this city anymore so you need to be looking at how we're going to close some of them. That's the way I see it, that's the only way I see it. We're not going to support all these parks. That's what happened to Thunder Bayou. We took money out of general funds and we stopped paying to help support Parks and Rec because we had so much. Now we're trying to cut back parks and rec so we can live within this tax. If we're going to do that, we need to start looking at what really do we need to support in this community... because we still cannot support it all. We've neglected soccer for five or six years now. Now we're going to start working on that," Hartsfield said.
Abbott said that soccer was in the budget in 2007.
"And I'll tell you this. When it comes to something as important as $95,000. Word of mouth doesn't get it for me. I want documents that say you've got to wait...I want to see it in writing," Hartsfield said.
Leslie Hester of the Delta Gateway Museum delivered her monthly director's report to the committee, which stated that there were 87 visitors last month.
"The exciting news is that we met with our exhibit designer this morning and we are moving forward on our Native American exhibit that we got our $10,000 grant for...So in about twelve weeks we'll have a complete detailed design with construction plans and everything and at that point we'll hire an exhibit construction firm and by later this year we are going to be working on our Native American exhibit," Hester said. "It's going to be a big exhibit. It should be really complete and thorough. We're going to be focusing on the Mississippian period."
Hester also was nominated and re-elected to the AMA Board of Directors to serve another term as one of the two Northeast Direst Representatives.
The city sent a contractor to repair the leak around the ductwork coming in through the classroom wall but the repair didn't fix the problem. The repairman has made a couple trips to attempt to locate precisely where the leak is coming from. Additionally, Hester said that once the repair is made, the drywall will have to be replaced and repainted and a section of damaged carpet will have to be either steam cleaned or replaced.
Hester also announced that local resident, Laura Martin, has offered to organize a fundraiser for the DGM Association to benefit he museum's long-term exhibit plan. Martin wants to produce a musical play based upon Mark Twain's life on the Mississippi.
David Lyttle, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Mississippi County informed the committee, "We did have a successful experience with the fine puppets in Princess Thimbelina. We had just shy of 2,000 kids see the show over a three-day period. And we started something different this year as the individual classes were filing out, they stopped in the lobby and posed for a picture with one of the characters from the show and we sent all of those pictures to the classrooms and all of the schools that were involved so that they will have that as a memento of their kids there at the Ritz."
Lyttle said they are currently regrouping and scheduling programs for next year's series. They are also making plans for summer workshops coming up in Junes. Lyttle said that they would once again be doing a photography workshop and a couple of different workshops in theater (stage makeup and stagecraft). He said there might even be fine arts workshops such as painting or drawing and that that workshops will be free for the children.
"Black Hills Energy was swapping out our gas meter yesterday and that went with no hitches and no problems until he got ready to fire up our heater for the auditorium. That has a number of limit switches that have been bypassed. It has scorch marks from an afterburner. He would not fire that unit up, he would not light it," Lyttle said. "The good news is his is the first week in May and not the first week in November. We have time to figure out what we're going to do."
Soccer Association members John Bennett and Larissa Norris addressed the committee. Bennett listed all the things that the city has done for the association and added that the major need "has been grass, seed and some dirt work done. I addressed the parks and rec committee about this back in 2012".
Norris also said that when Brown was hired, they were told that dirt work would be done in 2012 and that seeding would be done in 2013.
Bennett then listed all the accomplishments and efforts that the association has put into Blytheville Soccer despite the city's lack of support, "We got estimates for the dirt work, concession stand and common building. The city paid for a survey...we're at the point of possibly having to cancel the season, but in the past month or so we've been able to get some help from people in the city," Bennett said.
Norris added, "We've gotten several farmers that are going to help...a farmer that in between everything else is going to fertilizer and put down seed once the dirt work is done."
The two association members stressed that they need to city to not only do what they have pledged to do, but also to dedicate a permanent person to do additional mowing, weed killing and watering of the fields.
"Those things are going to have to be done. When you put grass seed out there is watering that has to be done," Bennett said.
Norris added, "Someone has offered to have a well dug and a well pump paid for. We talked with Elroy about that and he said that is something that we might have to progress toward...Assistant Police chief Ricky Jefferson said wouldn't be a problem of taping into the electricity because it would obviously have to be a spot that is kind of out of the way. It's going to have to be concreted in with some housing around it...but we do have someone to pay for putting the well in and paying for the pump.
Hartsfield asked if they had spoken with building inspector Rick Ash. They said they had not.
"An individual can't sink a well in the city limits of Blytheville. You might want to get with Rick Ash and make sure that its going to be part of the city and that its going to be approved," Hartsfield said.
Abbott said that even if its not allowed, they could pass a variance for it.
They also discussed the fact that Nucor offered to donate material to build a new parking lot at the soccer fields, but that it was contingent upon someone else making delivery. Snow said that since it's been two years since the offer was made and that they needed to be reproached.
Elroy said that he's contact Stracener Brothers and ask about the use of one of their trucks.
Bennett also said, "Another thing we haven't talked about is the purchasing of the hoses and sprinklers in the city park area."
The association utilizes five 5 acres of land and plan to seed four of them. Soccer fields are 110 yards long and lined up side by side. So they discussed buying approximately 1200 feet of hose and then move the sprinklers across the fields until the entire area is covered.
In other business, Dr. Tracy Duncan, financial director of the Golf Facilities Board gave a report to the committee which states that Thunder Bayou's revenue last month was $18,379 (down about $3,00 from last year.) Duncan said that revenues year to date is down about $8,000. She also said that expenditures are about $10,000 under budget.
"I did a little bit of research about the A & P tax, also known as the hotel tax. It's actually a tax that can be applied to a hotel or restaurant food places up to three percent. We've been under the assumption that we couldn't use that for parks and rec. So I went on line and looked up the tax code." Duncan pointing to Arkansas Code 26-75-606 said, "It can be used for operation, maintenance, building of park systems."
Snow said that he had emailed Donald Zimmerman of the Arkansas Municipal League, seeking clarification on the mater, but had not received a reply yet.
Masterson said that not only would it cover the cost, but it would also help free up general funds to do other things as well.
"If you look at all the different things that this money could be used for, that $133,000 that was taken out of the general funds never would have had to be taken out...and probably the city would have been able to use the revenue form the golf course into the general fund, so you probably would have had an excess of $500,000 difference in the general fund if you would have used the A&P tax probably. The key is those that you'd have to raise the tax...you'd have to at least go to 2-cents or 3-cents on the food," Masterson said.
"By the way our hotel tax is 13 percent, Osceola is 15 percent and Marion is 14.1 percent. So raising it two percent will put it right where Osceola is and close to where Marion is," Duncan said. "Just think about how much money that is in a year and what all you can be spending that on. You wouldn't have to spend any money out of your general funds and you can build things and make it better."
"And the revenue from the golf course and things can still be going into the general funds and you can use that money to support your fireman and your policeman," William Masterson said.
Snow counter, "Well I mean there was a 1-cent tax that was put out there that was heavily defeated so that tells you right there what the people want...in fact you were one of the biggest opponents against that and now you are suggested."
"The reason why is because nobody told me where it was going to go and it was going to go into the general fund to go whether you want it to," Masterson explained.
thenry@blythevillecourier.com
thenry@blytehvillecourier.com