Mayor says work to clean ditches pays off for city

Forrest City did not see any significant flooding from the storm system that dumped about 10 inches of rain on the city earlier this month. Mayor Larry Bryant told the council during the group’s meeting Tuesday that city workers spent time cleaning out ditches ahead of the storm. “We’re working on it,” said Bryant. “We have had areas surveyed and we have elevations. We’re trying to get some clearance from a farmer so we can dig two ditches out. We’re trying to get with the highway department to open up an area under the bypass so all the water won’t come down one ditch. It could come down two ditches and eventually go to the L’Anguille River.” Bryant said the city is looking at options to address areas that flood. “We can’t wait on the watershed because that might be years. Under the old plan, they would have started construction in 2026, but everything is on pause and that program might be DOA. Right now it is,” he said. “If you all want to see us proceed on that, we’d like for you to contact your senators and congressmen and let them know you want the watershed monies to come through. Anyone can write a letter or call them. If you need more information, just contact me and we’ll have something for you to go by in order to write the letter and be knowledgeable about what you’re talking about,” continued Bryant. “You can also share your experiences with the water.” Bryant said the city did not receive any reports of homes being flooded until this week. “I got a call today in regard to a house that’s got water in it, but it’s been almost two weeks and this is the first call I’ve had from anybody,” said Bryant. “We had water in yards. We tried to do a good job cleaning out of the ditches and so forth, but it was so much water. We’re going to investigate the one that said water got in the house even though it’s not something we can do anything about because it’s an act of God. “We don’t own any ditches in Forrest City,” he continued. “We just keep them clean along with the rights of way so that we won’t have flooding and issues in places.” The city did, however, suffer damage from the baseball-sized hail that accompanied the storm system on April 2. “We’re going to have an adjuster come out and look to see just how bad it is,” said Braynt, adding that the new roof that was just replaced on the multipurpose building was damaged along with the roof at the Civic Center. “So, when it rains, it pours in more ways than one,” he said. “Luckily, we had no casualties. We can overcome what we’re dealing with.” In other business, Bryant told the council he is working on a resolution to present to them to regulate solar panels, wind mills and wind turbines and “all those electric generating facilities.” “We don’t have anything on the books that speaks to that,” he said. “I’ll have something for you to look at at the next council meeting.” The council amended the meeting’s agenda to allow Bryant to open bids for the removal of a burned structure at 524 E. Davis and uniforms for city employees. The property was purchased by FCHA the public library before it burned. Four companies submitted bids to remove the structure, with the lowest being $8,500 and the highest coming in at $36,117. “Does that include filling in the basement of that also?” asked councilman Rick Hirons, who represents Ward 4 where the structure is located. “It should,” Bryant responded. “I’ve seen some cars wander in and out of there in the last few weeks. I don’t know what’s going on there,” said Hirons. “We will look at the bids and make a determination on the low bid or the best bid. Generally, on this kind of work, the low bid is pretty good,” said Bryant. Bryant also opened bids from three companies regarding uniforms for city employees. He told the council he would review and compare the bids before making a decision. The council also granted Bryant permission to seek bids for paving and sealing projects this year. “Do you have any idea what you’re going to pave yet?” asked councilman Bobby Astin. “Odds and ends,” said Bryant. “This year we probably won’t do very much. We still have to do the walking track at the Complex so that might be included in this. We’ll do some overlays and sealing on streets.” Bryant commented on the turnout at the community Easter event at the Sports Complex and the city-wide cleanup, which were both held on Saturday. “Some have said we had at least 2,000 children and family members at the Complex. It was a good positive event for the city of Forrest City,” said Bryant. “We also had a good cleanup day. We had a number of people who signed in and some picked up trash all over town.” He noted that the large dumpsters on the parking lots on Grant Street, the Civic Center and at the old Ridout building will remain there until the end of this week for anyone who still has items to throw away. The council voted to pay bills from the general fund in the amount of $79,193.97; street fund, $2,285; solid waste, $41,229.60 and water, $54,859.38.

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