Wood-bridge vote delayed for study
Concerned that neighborhood children will be walking and riding bikes across railroad tracks, North Little Rock City Council members earned a delay last week in taking action to have a wooden humpback bridge taken down.
The bridge crosses railroad tracks at 14th Street two blocks west of Main Street. The city closed the bridge about a year ago because its dilapidated condition is considered a hazard for vehicles.
The City Council was going to consider legislation last Monday to abandon and permanently vacate the portion of the crossing within the Union Pacific Railroad right of way. The railroad has agreed to take down the bridge, permanently block off the crossing and pay the city $75,000.
Some council members, however, said they are concerned that children would still try to get across, even between railroad cars when trains are stopped, either at 14th Street or at tracks at 13th Street.
Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith agreed to postpone a vote until the city and railroad can consider the feasibility of a pedestrian bridge at 14th Street.
$11,661 approved for fountain repair
The North Little Rock City Council approved a payment of $11,661 to Hydco Inc. of North Little Rock for additional repair costs to the fountain in Laman Plaza at William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St.
The council appropriated $35,000 for repairs in June. Mayor Joe Smith told the City Council that he would come back at some point with another funding request for additional repairs because there are still leaks in the fountain.
The fountain's equipment vault held water, which damaged the existing sump pump, valves and electrical components, besides having leaks, according to the legislation approved in June. Further work included sanitary sewer repairs and rock work for fixing leaks.
Smith said at that time that he asked Hydco to work on the fountain after initial estimates obtained by library staff were in the $75,000-$100,000 range.
When the original allocation was approved, Smith announced the city Parks and Recreation Department would take over maintenance and upkeep of the fountain and the gazebo that had also been in disrepair.
Exhibition of art opens at college
"Small Works on Paper," an annual juried art exhibition, opened Friday and will continue through April 13 at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College's Windgate Gallery in the Center for Humanities and Arts, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock.
Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
Artwork was created by members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, an online visual arts resource designed to promote and market Arkansas art. The exhibition will also go on tour, being shown at nine locations this year, according to exhibit information. There are 39 works in this year's exhibit.
More information on the exhibit or upcoming events is available at uaptc.edu/charts.
Ceremony set for groundbreaking
A rescheduled ceremonial groundbreaking for the 600 Main building already under construction in downtown North Little Rock will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the site.
The three-story, $6.79 million building is to become the new home offices for the North Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau on the first floor, the Arkansas Automobile Dealers Association on the second floor and Taggart Architects on the third floor. Each will jointly own the building.
The building is just north of the city-owned Argenta Plaza under construction.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau will relocate from the Visitors Information Center in Burns Park to the new building in order to manage the $5.36 million Argenta Plaza.
The ceremonial groundbreaking was rescheduled from Feb. 19 because of rain.
Metro on 03/03/2019