Fire Chief Greg Neely's last meeting was on Tuesday, and to mark the occasion there was a party held after the meeting. Jeremey Criner, the new Fire Chief-elect, was present for his first Siloam Springs Board of Directors meeting, and received the ceremonial Fire Chief pin.
Mayor John Mark Turner also announced a panel of three citizens who will choose an interim director to fill Director Jones' unexpired term when he leaves for Russia. August 2 will be Jones' final meeting. The panel will include former directors Mike Kenney and Judy Nation, and former Fire Chief Jimmy Harris.
The board passed three ordinances this week, but the one that drew the most discussion was an ordinance concerning rules at city-managed parks.
Wayne Hartley spoke during the public comments portion of the discussion, and said as a consistent visitor to the kayak park, he valued the park highly.
Hartley said an important thing the city could do to help curb littering and other problems at the park would be to add signage in Spanish so non-English speakers can read and understand the rules as well.
Director Brad Burns followed with a nine-minute comment detailing some of the challenges he saw at the kayak park.
"I think, no matter which way we go on this ordinance, we're going to have to answer some hard questions."
Burns said he saw severe littering and misuse of the park during his time there. On Sunday night, he said it was a sad day to have the name "Siloam Springs" on the kayak park as he walked through the trash and debris.
"The only way that I can even endorse this ordinance is that I'm reassured by the city administrator that it will be resolved."
City Administrator Philip Patterson said the ordinance would be a first step to combat littering and misuse of the parks.
By state statute, there are 45 days before the new rules will take effect. Patterson said he plans to use that time to introduce the new rules to park visitors and issue warnings, with the first citations coming once the 45-day period is up.
The ordinance was passed, though both Burns and Director Scott Jones voiced some uneasiness about it.
The board also:
• gave approval to a pair of significant development permits that will bring a new restaurant and a new shopping center to Siloam Springs. The restaurant, named Cotton Patch Cafe is part of a chain of sit-down eateries based in the Dallas area. The restaurant was compared to Chili's, in terms of menu offerings, at a recent Planning and Zoning meeting. The shopping center will be known as "Shoppes at Siloam," and will be located across U.S. Highway 412 from Walmart Supercenter. McGoo's Liquor that currently occupied the lot has an open application to move, according to the representative for the project.
• made three purchases: The first and second were a truck and a corresponding trailer that will be used to haul trash instead of using contractors as the city has in the past. Public Works Director Steve Gorszczyk said he expected the savings from not hiring contractors to pay for the investment in just over five years.
The other purchase was a bucket truck for use by the electric department. The truck will replace a 15-year-old model that is currently being used, according to Art Farine, the Electrical Director for the city.
• approved a pair of rezoning applications, one on 992 S. Lincoln Street for Frederic and Bertha Dohle, and the other for the Siloam Springs School District.
• approved Ted Song and Jerrod Driscoll to fill vacancies on the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustments.
• Approved a resolution that will allow Siloam Springs to accept state aid city street program money for the upcoming Mt. Olive overlay project.
General News on 07/24/2016