The Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District Board of Directors on Thursday discussed a range of issues in southeast Arkansas’ 10 counties and honored longtime director Glen Bell, who is retiring.
A representative for U.S. Congressman Rick Crawford also told the board that Crawford will vote against the Obamacare replacement recently proposed by Congressional Republicans, while a representative for U.S. Senator Tom Cotton said Cotton is currently withholding judgment.
Plans and specifications for a project to improve Altheimer’s public water system received approval Feb. 23, and bids on the project are slated to open March 27.
The project will install water distribution pipes, a 200,000-gallon water storage tank and fire hydrants, according to the website of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Most of the current pipes date to the water system’s creation in 1959. They have deteriorated due to age and excessive rain in 2008 that destabilized the soil. They require constant maintenance due to leaks, and the city’s fire hydrants do not supply adequate flow to fight fires.
The district has reached an agreement with Kansas City, Missouri, Company Ripple Glass to pick up discarded glass at the Jefferson County Landfill on Gravel Pit Road, according to the activities report for the meeting. The district will have to pay a shipping charge of $3 per ton.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Glass recycling has the potential to save cities and counties money and landfill space by diverting large amounts from the trash bin,” the report states.
Staff criticized Waste Management for failing to quickly clean out waste tire bins in the district’s 10 counties. The most lax performance appears to be at Barney’s Tire Center in McGehee, co-ops in Arkansas County and Blue Seal Petroleum in DeWitt and Stuttgart, according to the activities report.
“If Waste Management’s performance doesn’t greatly improve in the first quarter of 2017, it may be time to consider breaking their contract to hire a new contractor,” the report states.
Longtime District Director Glen Bell received a standing ovation ahead of his pending retirement. Bell has occupied that position for 29 years and been with the district for 44. He is only the second director of the district, which was formed in 1967, after former Director Paul Bates.
Bell started work at the district in 1973 as a grant writer, rose to assistant director and was promoted to director in 1987.
Interim Director Beth Robertson, who has worked at the district for 37 years, credited Bell with leading the most progressive economic development district in the state.
“The district today is in the best shape it’s ever been in,” Robertson said. “That’s all Glen Bell. His leadership and vision brought us here and set the bar really high.”
A multi-month search is ongoing for Bell’s replacement, Robertson said.
The district has been working with Martha Treece, owner of recycling consulting business ORE, to explore purchasing stationary shredders for each of the 10 southeast Arkansas counties. The district has also signed a contract with Treece for consulting in an effort to increase the volume and materials that are recycled in the district in order to divert more waste from landfills. Treece has met with several counties and cities, and district staff is arranging meetings in others.
It has also been working with the Rural Water Association and the Association of Arkansas Counties to write legislation allowing counties to put solid waste charges on a rural water district’s bill. The legislation would potentially allow for the water district to cut off water service for people who do not pay their solid waste bill.
The next meeting is April 13 in Dumas.