Library: Memorial for Baskin to wait
Jeff Baskin's death last week renewed some speculation about how to best pay tribute to the longtime head of the William F. Laman Library System who also was very involved in community projects.
Director of the Laman Library for 27 years, Baskin died Tuesday. He was 67.
Support for renaming the library's Argenta Branch for Baskin took off almost immediately after Baskin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July. A Facebook page, titled "Put Jeff Baskin's name on the NLR/Argenta library," was created.
Baskin's accomplishments include the multiple expansions and modernization of the main library at 2801 Orange St., and his hands-on oversight of converting a former post office building into the new Argenta branch library at 420 Main St.
Given that Baskin's illness and death came so quickly, waiting for a "more appropriate" time is likely, said Dan Noble, library system spokesman. Any tribute to Baskin's years at the library's helm will be up to the Laman Library board of trustees, he added.
"I think we need to give some time for the family," Noble said. "I don't know what the official status on it is right now. I think the more appropriate time would not be now, but it'll be months from now."
Natural gas station fix to cost $58,387
Repairs to the city-owned compressed natural gas station in North Little Rock will cost $58,387.50, plus $1,900 for the pumps being certified by the Arkansas Bureau of Standards, with the city to be reimbursed by insurance payments, according to City Council legislation.
The City Council approved last week waiving formal bidding requirements to have Southern Co. NLR Inc. of North Little Rock to replace and install equipment damaged Aug. 15 when a tractor-trailer rig struck the pump dispenser. The station has been out of service since then.
Repair costs will be covered by the Averitt Express trucking company's insurance. The trucking company is from Cookeville, Tenn.
"We're not out any money other than time and the loss of revenue," Mayor Joe Smith said.
A quote of about $6,600 less came from Atlas Corp. of Houston, Texas, but the city chose Southern, Smith said, because it is a local company and offered quicker installation and a longer warranty on the equipment.
Metro on 09/14/2014