City Administrator Phillip Patterson announced during the city board meeting Tuesday that Siloam Springs is one of the winners of the Volunteer Community of the Year Award.
Patterson said in his administrator's report the city nominated itself last year and received the notification on Tuesday from EngageAR. Siloam Springs is one of seven cities in the state which will receive the award at the Arkansas Municipal League convention later in the month, Patterson said.
The other six cities that won the award are Fayetteville, Maumelle, North Little Rock, Osceola, Vilonia and West Memphis, according to volunteerar.org.
Siloam Springs had previously won the award in 1985, 1997 and 2017, according to Shana Chaplin, the director of EngageAR.
This year's nomination was geared to food insecurity and how the community came together to fill and support those needs, Patterson said. He thanked all of the organizations whose work helped the city achieve the award.
Siloam Springs' application stood out due to the city hosting a first city-wide led initiative while also leading a group of citizens and partner organizations to address hunger issues, Chaplin said.
The organization seeks to honor municipalities taking a lead in not only engaging citizens to address needs but building partnerships through collaboration thereby leveraging resources across the community, Chaplin said.
"Siloam Springs has done just that, and did so despite the challenges of the pandemic," Chaplin said.
Organizations mentioned were Siloam Springs School District, The Garden in Siloam Springs, Little Free Pantry, Heritage League, Rotary, Civitan, Manna Center, Hunger and Thirst, Siloam Springs Senior Center and Meals on Wheels.
Trace Henley, the current president of the Heritage League, said she was excited to be a part of it and that the Heritage League works hard with other organizations to make the city a better place.
"We are excited to be a small part of what brought this award around," Henley said.
Dixie Shoptaw, the current president of the Civitan Club, said that the club considers it an honor and priviledge to assist Siloam Springs by including their volunteer hours in the community.
Rochelle Franco, the president of the board of directors for The Garden in Siloam Springs, said she was grateful to be a part of a community that pitches in to help and serve their neighbors.
"We love and appreciate each person in our community who has given their time, money, and energy towards making our town a better, kinder place to live," Franco said.
Patterson also thanked the various churches who contributed to helping those with food insecurities. A few city directors weighed in on the award during the director reports.
Director Marla Sappington, who is also the executive director of the Manna Center, thanked the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce for helping get the word out about the holiday food bags the Manna Center provided to help those who suffering from food insecurities.
Sappington said the Manna Center has approximately 60-90 volunteers and publicly thanked those volunteers. Director Lesa Rissler thanked all the volunteers and organizations that make Siloam Springs as great as it is.
Director Carol Smiley also thanked all of those who participated as volunteers to achieve the Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year award.
Smiley acknowledged that it takes a lot of paperwork to get the award because every organization has to keep their hours accumulated and written down.
She also thanked the chamber, Main Street Siloam Springs and the Siloam Springs Museum Society whose direcotrs were at the meeting.
"They add so much to our community," Smiley said.
City directors also voted on and approved the following items.
Consent agenda
• Regular Meeting Minutes for the Dec. 21 city board meeting.
• Dedication of utility easements for 826 W. University St. and 127 N. Dogwood St.
• Resolution 01-22 concerning procedures and organizational matters of the board of directors.
Contracts and approvals
• Purchase agreement for an ambulance purchase from Pinnacle Emergency Vehicles in the amount of $260,844.
• Purchase agreement for an ambulance purchase from Pinnacle Emergency Vehicles in the amount of $255,844.
Ordinances
• Placing Ordinance 22-01 waiving requirements for written price quotes for the service contract for the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce for $30,000 on its first and only reading and then taking a separate vote to adopt the ordinance.
• Placing Ordinance 22-02 waiving requirements for written price quotes for the service contract for Main Street Siloam Springs in the amount of $35,000 on its first and only reading and then taking a separate vote to adopt the ordinance.
• Placing Ordinance 22-03 waiving requirements for written price quotes for the service contract for the Siloam Springs History Museum in the amount of $50,000 on its first and only reading and then taking a separate vote to adopt the ordinance.
Resolutions
• Approving Resolution 02-22 regarding the amendment of the 2021 budget.
• Approving Resolution 03-22 concerning the amendment of the 2022 budget.
Staff reports
• Fourth quarter report for the chamber of commerce.
• Fourth quarter report for Main Street Siloam Springs.
• Fourth quarter report for the Siloam Springs History Museum.
• November 2021 financials.
• Administrator's report.