Planners to reviewwatershed revision
The proposed amendment to the Lake Maumelle watershed zoning ordinance has been sent to the Pulaski County Planning Board for a 30-day public hearing.
The Quorum Court had its first official reading of the ordinance proposing the amendment Tuesday night. It needs three readings before it can pass.
The Planning Board next meets Aug. 26 at 3 p.m. in the Jeffrey Hawkins Conference Room at the Pulaski County Regional Center.
The amendment seeks to change some regulations within the zoning code passed in April 2013. Landowners and business proprietors in the watershed have been at odds with public officials about the extent to which zoning regulations are needed in the watershed to protect water quality.
Lake Maumelle, operated by Central Arkansas Water, provides drinking water for about 400,000 central Arkansans.
13-0 vote endorsesDassault incentive
With a 13-0 vote Tuesday night, the Quorum Court endorsed Dassault Falcon Jet Corp.'s participation in a state tax-incentive program to aid its $60 million expansion.
District 1 Justice of the Peace Doug Reed, R-Roland, and District 9 Justice of the Peace Wilma Walker, D-College Station, were absent from Tuesday night's meeting.
The expansion does not include any jobs, but representatives from the corporation and the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce told the Quorum Court on Tuesday that more jobs could come later.
The expansion will allow the complex to work on a larger variety of aircraft.
A company's participation in state tax incentives needs endorsement from the local governments in which the company's proposed expansion is located.
Rath, Wilson OK'dfor Planning Board
The county Planning Board will get one new member, and another member has been reappointed after a vote by the Quorum Court on Tuesday night.
W.H. Rath, 75, will serve another four years, and Mark Wilson, 38, will begin his first term.
Rath, who has served one term already, worked in operations and project management for AFCO Metals from 1978 until 2004, when he retired.
Wilson is a business development officer at First Arkansas Bank & Trust in Jacksonville and serves on the Pulaski Technical College Foundation and the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council.
Both Rath and Wilson were unanimously approved.
Planning Board members are nominated by the county judge and must be approved by the Quorum Court.
Courthouse lockup,jail cooling get OK
The sheriff's office will add a jail cell in the county courthouse and new air conditioners at the jail.
The Quorum Court approved the expenditures 13-0 at its final July meeting Tuesday night.
The sheriff's office plans to use $16,000 in Act 1188 funds to build an additional holding cell at the courthouse for county prisoners, and $65,000 in Act 1188 funds for five new air units at the jail. Act 1188 levies a $5 court fine on people guilty of misdemeanor and traffic offenses.
The sheriff's office also received approval for using $20,000 in federal drug seizure money to construct a portable building to house a firearms simulator for officer training.
Sanitation chargeto go on water bill
Maumelle Water Corp. and the Pulaski County Sanitation Department will combine their billings after the Quorum Court approved the efficiency effort Tuesday night with a vote of 13-0.
Water customers will see an added $1.50 on their monthly statements.
The Sanitation Department employs this method of collecting fees on thousands of bills with Central Arkansas Water, Jacksonville Water Works and North Pulaski Water Works, Public Works Director Sherman Smith told the Quorum Court earlier this month.
Smith said 2,000 people would be affected by the change and that many people wanted to be placed on the monthly billing cycle instead of the previous quarterly billing method because it would be easier to remember to pay their bills.
Free shredding setat recycling event
Easter Seals Arkansas is accepting cardboard and will shred documents for free at a recycling event Saturday.
Easter Seals workers will shred and recycle the items from 8 a.m. to noon at its center for training and wellness at 14901 Cantrell Road in Little Rock.
Leadership groupstarts up this week
The 2014-15 Youth Leadership Institute in Pulaski County starts with an orientation for parents and students this evening in the Quorum Court meeting room.
The program for students in ninth through 12th grades, run by Pulaski County Youth Services, meets twice each month on Saturdays from August until May.
Those who are interested can reserve a spot for the orientation and first training session -- on Saturday -- by emailing sthompson@pulaskicounty.net or calling (501) 340-8250.
Our Club concertto showcase skills
The Our Club Music Program will put on its fifth annual concert Friday at 6 p.m. at Hall High School in Little Rock, showcasing a summer of learning for students entering sixth and seventh grades.
The program, which is run by county Youth Services, teaches music to 40 students 16 hours each week for six weeks. The six weeks culminate in Friday night's concert.
The program focuses on music education, self-discipline, cultural enrichment and nutrition, according to a news release from Youth Services.
Metro on 07/24/2014