2 companies bid to fix bridge lights
Two companies submitted proposals for replacing the decorative lights on the Big Dam Bridge.
The Road and Bridge and Purchasing departments opened bids from Fleming Electric of Bryant and Koontz Electric of Morrilton last week.
Koontz Electric installed the lights on the Two Rivers Park bridge.
Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines has estimated the cost of replacing the 8-year-old lights to be $400,000 to $500,000, all of which will come out of the Road and Bridge Department's maintenance and operation fund.
A committee will review each company's proposal based on the company's experience, qualifications and past performance on similar projects, assistant comptroller Jean Pope said. After the committee scores each company, the Purchasing Department will reveal the cost proposed by each company to the committee for a final decision.
Road and Bridge Director Barbara Richard called the bridge an "amenity" and the lights "required maintenance" in response to questions raised publicly about the department's decision to replace the lights instead of pursuing projects to fix drainage problems in low-lying areas of east Pulaski County.
"Unfortunately, some of those people are in areas that will always flood," she said.
Worker to update youth crime data
The Pulaski County Quorum Court gave preliminary approval last week to appropriating $10,000 in grant money for a part-time coordinator to work with the county's Juvenile Crime Prevention Coalition to update data on racial disparities among those accused of committing crime locally.
The Quorum Court voted 11-0 to move the measure to its Sept. 23 agenda for a final vote.
District 2 Justice of the Peace Tyler Denton, D-Little Rock; District 9 Justice of the Peace Wilma Walker, D-College Station; District 10 Justice of the Peace Robert Green, D-McAlmont; and District 12 Justice of the Peace Karilyn Brown, R-Sherwood, were absent for the vote.
The new part-time employee would hopefully make recommendations on how to keep minorities from "having contact with law enforcement," Youth Services Director Charles Mobley said.
The data collection and study are part of a larger project that will be reported to the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Mobley said.
Metro on 09/16/2014