Late this afternoon, the Hempstead County Quorum Court met for its July meeting at the County Courthouse, voting in favor of transferring funds within the budget to provide a full-time salary and benefits for Veteran’s Service Officer Donna Rosenbaum, hearing a report on next steps after a local agency received word of winning a $3 million grant to use the county’s empty migrant center and hearing a request for help fixing a county road.
The video of the meeting in its entirety can be seen below this article and its pictures.
The new business of the meeting was the passage of an ordinance to appropriate funds for the County Veteran’s Service Officer position, currently held by Donna Rosenbaum. She requested a raise in pay in a meeting two months ago on the grounds she was working full-time hours for part-time pay. The unanimously approved ordinance transferred $10,826.60 for salary and benefits matching.
Rainbow of Challenges CEO Judy Watson came to brief the justices of the peace on what comes next after the news that ROC has been awarded by the Arkansas Department of Human Services a grant for $3 million to use a county-owned vacant property that was once the site of housing for migrant workers to provide apartments for young adults transitioning from the state’s foster care system. The site will require rehabilitation prior to being used in this way.
Watson said the next step will be for the county and ROC to negotiate a lease by which ROC would rent the property. A meeting August 19th is expected to finalize the terms of the grant with DHS. The Legislative Counsel Committee must approve the grant, as well.
Watson said exact numbers of what the ROC’s budget would be were not available yet. JP Ed Darling said under the terms of the future lease, if the project did not work out after the funds run out, the property and any alterations done to it would revert to the county.
Watson said the submission to the state specified up to 32 apartments, but over the course of discussion with contractors, she said the project will have to be scaled down to about 20. Its total cost is set to be $3.7 million. With the grant amounting to $3 million, the project will need to cut costs.
David Stroud was on the agenda to speak about the state of County Road 179, which he told the court is quite muddy, leaving mud stuck on vehicles and shoes. He said he spoke to County Roads Superintendent Richard Kidd about having his department do something about this, but had been rebuffed. After a discussion of various options for the fix, County Judge Jerry Crane pledged to come see the road and to call Stroud before doing so. Photos Stroud took of the road are included below this story.
JP Ed Darling reported on the recent decision by Steward Healthcare to sell the Wadley Regional Medical Center’s medical operating entity to Pafford Medical Services. MPT, the owner of the property in which the hospital operates, is selling it to the city of Hope and Hempstead County for $500,000. “It all has to be approved by a bankruptcy judge and I think that’s scheduled the 31st,” Darling said. He added that developing the lease agreement with Pafford is in process.
The state is being requested to provide about $7 million to help repair the hospital’s roof. More funds are being requested from the state to do work inside the hospital facility, Darling said.
In addition, a study is expected any day from healthcare management consultants that would provide guidelines for Pafford on what services the hospital needs to prioritize to operate in a way most likely to be profitable.
JP Jessie Henry asked whether the Southwest Arkansas Health Authority (SWAHA) board, which was comprised in May to help manage the transition of ownership for Hope’s hospital when news emerged of Steward’s bankruptcy, would include a member from the quorum court, specifically Darling, who has experience with hospital management.
Darling said one of the goals of the board is to try to get 5-7 more years of use out of the nearly 50-year-old building being used now.
JP Stewart said the most important priority for the hospital is its triage facility that local manufacturers depend on being available in case it is needed for their workers. She also said Darling’s experience in helping to establish a hospital is well-needed on the SWAHA board.
Judge Crane thanked the Sheriff’s Department, including Sheriff James I. Singleton, for its help clearing roads of trees and branches after recent storms. Singleton said he had gotten a call from Hope Water & Light that the old courthouse has an electricity outage on its second and third floors because of a dead meter and this meter would be fixed or replaced tomorrow.
About 30 minutes after it began, the meeting adjourned.
Correction: An earlier version of this article mentioned the DHS was granting $3.7 million to ROC. It will be $3 million. The grant is also pending approval from the Arkansas Legislative Counsel Committee. This has been added to the story. SWARK.Today regrets the error and thanks ROC CEO Judy Watson for bringing it to our attention.
