If you haven't heard, there's some dirty business of sorts underway these days inside the Washington County Courthouse in Fayetteville.
The question being debated that only time can answer: What happens if red dirt mined from a pit near Winslow proves to not be suitable for creating roads that will outlast wear, tear and weather?
The county's already spent $14,000 to build a road on private property to the pit it likely will wind up operating. If the deal goes through, the county will pay the property owners, Allen and Paul Reed, for each truckload. They are relatives of County Bridge Superintendent Travis Reed.
The road was built before the Quorum Court approved of operating the pit. Some county leaders understandably didn't care for the appearance of a county supervisor involved with his relatives in business dealings with the county before the horse (road) got in front of the cart (pit itself). Can't say I blame the concerned for exercising what strikes me as due diligence.
There's also the matter of three county-run dirt pits operating elsewhere in the county with dirt proven suitable for road building.
The quorum court that hadn't initially approved the Winslow site before paying for a road to it is moving toward to get that done now. One test reportedly showed the dirt in Winslow is OK for building roads, according to Road Department Superintendent Charles Ward.
While some county officials insist the Winslow pit dirt will be just fine, others point to a map by the U.S. Department of Agriculture which shows about 70 percent of the soil in Washington County is rated as "poor" road-building material. Nineteen percent of the soil is cited as being either fair or good quality. And the good soil, thus far anyway, has been mined from the three working pits located well north of Winslow.
Dirt around Winslow contains shale with a high content of clay, meaning if the latest test cited by Ward is mistaken, the dirt from that pit could shrink and swell. Such a development would mean as time passes, roads over time could become uneven and potholed.
Regardless of what anyone says after the fact, county officials today are two readings away from making the Winslow pit a done deal. So I predict time will tell how well the Winslow pit soil performs by the nature of the roads where it's used. To quote former Madison County Judge Wes Fowler, "road building, I mean, it's an art."
There have been some strong opinions about the way this pit has been seemingly pushed from the beginning. County Road Department employee George Braswell, never one to mince words, has been talking dirt for a while, more specifically what he believes was the need to accurately test the quality of Winslow soil before the county committed to using the stuff.
George Butler, former county attorney and now chief of staff to the Washington County judge, told reporter Scarlet Sims he saw no need to conduct such tests required by the state but not counties. "Our guys have been looking at dirt forever, and they know what is good quality and what is not. Some dirt is better than others, but they know what's good dirt."
Sounds kinda like those mystical egg-sexers to me. Why would any county conduct such testing when employees can take a gander and make that important determination?
Last week, Ward, the road superintendent who apparently moved post-haste to get the Winslow dirt testing, also issued a report of expected savings from operating the Winslow pit. A load from a commercial mine is $12, while the county is charged $4 per load from a mine it currently uses. The stuff mined from the pit in Winslow would cost $3.50 a load.
Discussing Islam
I'm pleased to see the Transparency in Government Group of Boone County hosting three seminars specifically to inform the public about key facets of the Islamic faith as thousands of Muslims are immigrating to the U.S. With the savagery we are witnessing at the hand of Islamic radicals and the fear and anger it's generated in the civilized world, it's beneficial to listen, learn and actively question the peace-loving people also involved in this religion. The first seminar was in March.
The keynote speaker is Charles R. Fuqua of Batesville, an authority on Islam.
One of the most interesting Muslims in my book is Fadil Bayyari of Fayetteville. An empathetic, compassionate man, Bayyari is the CEO of the successful Bayyari Properties and Construction. He was born in Palestine in 1952 and immigrated to the U.S. at 19. He's perhaps best celebrated for constructing Fayetteville's Temple Shalom at his own cost.
Bayyari's set to discuss "Islam in Today's World," Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Gene Durand Center in downtown Harrison. The final seminar, "A Look at the Future of Islam," is May 19.
------------v------------
Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 04/26/2016