2013 to be last year
for old tree, decor
This should be the last year of use for North Little Rock’s familiar 25-foot-tall Christmas tree outside the City Services Building and worn street decorations, Mayor Joe Smith said recently.
No, the mayor isn’t a Grinch trying to steal Christmas.
The city plans to replace the official tree and buy new decorations by next Christmas, Smith said.
While making recent revisions to balance the proposed $60.1 million general fund budget for 2014, among amounts that Smith added into the Sales Tax Capital Improvement fund was a $25,000 expenditure for “Christmas tree and decorations.”
Smith told the City Council during a Dec. 12 budget discussion that the Christmas tree that annually is placed outside of the City ServicesBuilding, 120 Main St., is “at least 10 years old and falling apart.” He also said the decorations placed on poles along several major city streets each December are old and faded.
“That’s why I put that in there, to purchase a new tree and decorations that we hang on the streets in our city,” Smith said when asked about the expense.
The Christmas tree is where the city’s annual Christmas parade in December ends.
Tattoo studio seeks
council’s approval An application for a tattoo studio in North Little Rock’s downtown will be considered by the City Council at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday.
The tattoo studio drew some opposition at the Nov.
13 Planning Commission meeting, where the application by Chris Schee of Little Rock was denied in a 4-4 vote with one commissioner absent. Five votes are needed for approval.
The application is for 111 W. Seventh St., just northwest of the corner of Seventh and Main streets. The proposal is for the studio to be open 1-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Property trade up for sixth extension
Because of environmental problems with a city-owned property, a sixth extension will go before the North Little Rock City Council on Monday that will allow for an inspection period for the buyer to last through 2014.
The extension further delays the city’s attempt, which began in 2010, to trade the property at 615 Magnolia St. to Maple Holdings LLC, owned by developer John Gaudin, for the former Rye Furniture property, 201 Maple St. Three other city-owned parcels included in the deal with Gaudin closed about a year ago.
Two extensions for the deal were approved in November 2010 and March 2011, before arsenic-contaminated soil was discovered on the Magnolia Street site. Because the trade hadn’t been completed, the city retains responsibility for the cleanup.
The City Council approved the land swap on a 5-4 vote in September 2010, with then-Mayor Patrick Hays needed to cast the passing vote. The period to allow inspection on the property before finalizing the ownership exchange was also extended Aug. 8, 2011; Dec. 12, 2011; and Dec. 12, 2012.
Resident graduates
from FEMA Corps Roderick Wells of North Little Rock was among 151 graduates from FEMA Corps, a 10-month national service program addressing needs during disaster response and recovery, according to a news release from AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, a national service program.
FEMA Corps is a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Corporation for National and Community Service to enhance the nation’s disaster response and recovery capacity while expanding career opportunities for youths, according to a news release. The program, for ages 18-24, is a new unit of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps.
A ce remony Nov. 20 marked the first class of FEMA Corps graduates from the Denver campus, according to the news release.
Participating in 88 projects, the Denver-based Corps members completed 325,000 hours of service, the news release states. Projects included collecting and distributing more than 4 million pounds of supplies, goods, food and clothing and answering 4,547 registration or helpline calls.
Arkansas, Pages 17 on 12/22/2013