There wasn’t much business to discuss, and only about 20 people showed up, but Tuesday night’s Pine Bluff City Council meeting was momentous in that it was held in a new venue for the first time in more than 50 years.
Mayor Shirley Washington greeted council members and those in attendance, capping off her introduction by saying the new venue, on the bottom floor of the new Detective Kevin D. Collins Center, is a “work in progress.”
The renovations to what was the old Pine Bluff Public Library present council chambers unlike almost every other aspect of the old council chambers, around the corner in the Pine Bluff Civic Center, a dark, cramped space with metal folding chairs. The new council chambers has theater seating, with individual chairs that are cushy and covered in a red wide-wale corduroy. Lighting floods the space, and to the left and right of the council members’ seating area are two big-screen TVs that allow full use of the four cameras that record the proceedings.
After the invocation by Bishop Shirley Sanders of Greater Deliverance Global Ministry, who asked for God’s blessing on the city and its leaders, the meeting started, but there was almost no business to transact. One by one, council members said their particular committee had not met since the last meeting in December, but they then used the opportunity to say when they would meet, with some wishing all a happy new year.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Issues with the sound system seemed to be one of the few setbacks of the evening. At one point, there was distorted feedback.
“This is the first time we’ve been in here,” Washington said. “Thank you for your tolerance.”
After the committee reports, two people spoke on separate items, with one needing to talk to Police Chief Denise Richardson, who was in attendance, and another person who raised an issue about property he owns.
As he was talking, Washington said the council could hear him but she wondered if the audience could. Some people said yes, others said no. An adjustment was made in the sound booth, and conditions improved.
“Can you hear me?” the mayor asked later, noting a slight echo.
The person running the sound booth said he had not been able to get everyone together to do a sound check so he was having to adjust mic levels and volume as the night progressed.
The renovations to the old library to turn it into the Collins Center cost close to $300,000. A dedication and soft opening was held in October 2023 and was attended by Dornetta “Donna” Hobbs, Collins’ mother. The center is named in memory of Collins, who lost his life in October 2020 when he was shot while investigating a crime.
Washington ended the meeting by reminding the audience that the next council meeting would be on Tuesday, Jan. 16, because city offices would be closed Jan. 15 due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. There is also an MLK parade on Main Street on Jan. 15, Washington noted.
The city’s council meetings have been held in the Civic Center space since around 1968 when the center was completed. During covid-19 and when larger crowds were expected, the council has met in the Pine Bluff Convention Center, where both the elected officials and those in attendance could spread out. Washington said the old council chambers would continue to be used for such things as committee meetings.