Whereas our community located along Highway 63/Olive Street south of I-530 was annexed into the city of Pine Bluff in 1982 with the promise that we would be provided the full amenities available to other city residents.
Whereas many years later in late 2003, after 21 years of waiting, residents and property owners began an earnest, grassroots effort to bring to our community full access to the city’s wastewater/sewer system. Whereas those efforts led in 2008 to the granting of an earmark of $500,000 from Congressman Mike Ross and Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor to the city of Pine Bluff to help fund that sewer access
Whereas both we community residents and city officials agreed that a sewer extension to our community, the area south of I-530 along Highway 63 (Olive Street) would be a boon to commercial development and an expanded tax base in the city as a whole.
Whereas in 2010, after refinancing the city’s debt, we were assured by the office of the Mayor and the city’s Department of Economic and Community Development that the city then had funds to match the federal contribution to the $500,000 earmark. Whereas in a public meeting designed to garner EPA/environmental approval, residents in attendance were told that with those matching funds and the designation of an engineering firm from Little Rock, work could be begun on our sewer extension.
Whereas, despite their promise to do otherwise, city officials, most notably Donald Sampson and the Department of Economic an d Community Development, failed to communicate regularly with us residents about the progress of the sewer extension
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Whereas in November 2011, we were informed via the Commercial that the earmark for the sewer extension had been rescinded by federal officials (EPA) in March 2011. Whereas, at a recent city council meeting Mayor Redus was asked by Alderwoman Holcomb whether the city, through inactivity on its part, had dropped the ball and whether its inaction led to the take-back of the federal monies promised to our community and the city.
Whereas the mayor’s response to the alderwoman’s query was limited and appears to contradict past statements made by and actions taken by city officials.
Whereas our past and ongoing good faith efforts on behalf of our community and the city require that we be given a full accounting of the city’s actions/inaction
Whereas the 2012 election for the mayor and other city offices requires an honest assessment of whether we are better off as a community now than we were eight years ago.
BE IT RESOLVED that Mayor Redus provide in a public statement, preferably one printed in the Commercial, a full time-line for the city’s actions between 2008 and March 2011 and a full explanation for the city’s failure to spend the already promised funds on a much needed economic benefit for our community and the city at large.
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Darnell F. Hawkins, Olive Street resident and property owner and Carl Johnson, Olive Street property owner