Could it be the folks in Bentonville are about the break the logjam of continual hissy-fittin' over the Bella Vista Dam that has dragged on for so many months?
Sure sounds from reading the paper like compromise is a possibility. If so, I say hooray and finally!
The issue has been whether to retain and rebuild the leaky, failed and potentially dangerous dam holding Lake Bella Vista or to remove it and free Little Sugar Creek to once again flow through the community. The issue has become more open for civil discussion since a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lapsed, nullifying a FEMA grant largely funding the project, which forced a reconsideration of options for the dam's future.
The Friends of Little Sugar Creek were more than happy to remind the city and anyone interested what a wonderful and unique environment could be created by allowing the creek to meander through shady park areas and provide recreation for families who could enjoy all it has to offer.
Apparently, it's become somewhat of a trend in recent years for communities to remove dams like the Bella Vista version to allow for improved fishing and wildlife habitat, as well as save money on maintaining and repairing such structures. The Bella Vista dam serves as a catchment for 90 square miles of rainwater runoff and has been topped five times since 2008.
While removing the dam could cost thousands, I believe the benefits to the community would outweigh that expense in the long run, especially if the city has to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars as its part of a multimillion-dollar dam restoration.
It sounds as if one possible compromise is to unblock the creek while also providing for a pond that would extend from one side of Little Sugar.
Having been raised with the captivations, beauty and majesty of both Crooked Creek and the Buffalo National River, my sentiments fall with restoring Little Sugar to her former natural state.
Yesterday and today
Mark Garner, owner and chef at the TownHouse Cafe on the Harrison Square, joined the coffee group around the table last week to announce how he'd been doing some calculating and "spreadsheeting" with astounding results.
He said he discovered the $250 a week he earned as an assistant manager at Pizza Hut in 1975 translates to about $58,000 annually in today's dollars. "I still can't imagine being paid that much money for that job," he said. "But it sure shows how things have changed financially for everyone in just over 40 years."
Everyone around the table agreed with Garner on how difficult it can be with today's cost of living for millennials trying to break away from parental support with jobs paying $1,000 a month.
The group also agreed some items such as pizza and phone service have actually fallen in relative terms. The overwhelming winners for skyrocketing escalation were predictable: health care and higher education.
Dark times in Cave Springs
Ace political journalist Doug Thompson wrote the other day that a recent legislative audit revealed the beleaguered city administration in little Cave Springs (who appear to have borrowed a page from the Tontitown government playbook) "overcompensated employees, made purchases above authorized amounts and mismanaged taxpayer money." In fact, that city en route to Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport at Highfill failed to meet requirements of state law 22 times in 2015 and 2016.
If that weren't enough, Cave Springs may lose $391,000 from its $1.7 million general fund budget because its leaders failed to reauthorize the town's property tax for 2017, Thompson wrote.
Some dark times for the good people in Cave Springs who deserve so much better.
Very own 'chronicle'
In a state and nation filled with every imaginable publication appearing then disappearing, Wyatt Foley and Stacy Antonelli of Harrison have developed a glossy, bimonthly publication that fits like a glove in the age of pampered egos.
Wyatt says the "chronicle" features a reader's last name prominently on each individual cover as part of the title. For instance, mine would be The Masterson Chronicle and also have my first name scattered inside within an assortment of local advertisements. Another nifty idea to lure my attention inside.
The idea behind this vanity publication dawned years ago when Wyatt worked for a software company. "I waited until coming back to Harrison to put it into action," he told me. Now in its fifth issue and third volume, it's already thriving.
His six-page all-advertising publication is blanketed freely to thousands of homes around Harrison targeted to have average annual incomes above $25,000. The ads also are aimed via software cipherings to ensure homes in higher income ranges receive ads Wyatt believes the residents can afford. "For instance, we might sell an ad for a very expensive car and make certain those in income ranges that can afford one receive their Chronicle," said Foley.
Antonelli, a former manager at 417 magazine in Springfield, hasn't had much trouble finding support for the publication in Harrison. Seems folks like seeing their name on the cover of even a small publication. The latest edition contains 14 advertisers who each appear in both monthly publications.
The Chronicle recently has branched out into the Fayetteville region and will continue to grow across Northwest Arkansas and beyond, targeting homes in areas with $100,000 annual incomes. Foley said the sophisticated software allows them to customize each Chronicle and print them in-house.
Who says entrepreneurship and innovation is dead among energetic young people with drive and imagination?
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 07/29/2017