The Hope City Board of Directors, along with City GIS and Technology Coordinator Darrell Allen (right). applaud City Manager Catherine Cook (in orange top) at her last regular City Board meeting.
Last night’s last 2022 regular meeting of the Hope Board of Directors, covered in its entirety in the video below, which saw an agreement to start the process of annexing land along Patmos Road, was also the last regular meeting of City Manager Catherine Cook’s tenure. She will be retiring from the position effective the end of December.
After the business of the meeting was done and she had been presented with a flower-arrangement on behalf of the city’s workers by City GIS and Technology Coordinator Darrell Allen, Cook, her voice somewhat affected by laryngitis, gave a farewell speech to the board and to the several attendees in the audience, among them former Hope mayor Dennis Ramsey, who was involved in the hiring of Cook and State Representative Danny Watson.
“I've worked for the city now for about 32 and a half years, I've been your city manager for 27 years. I was adding up this evening, and I think I've attended in excess of 700 board meetings. I just want to say very sincerely and completely as I can. It has been a distinct honor to work for the City of Hope, for all of you and for all previous board members.
And it's been a pleasure every day to work with all of the employees of the City of Hope. Both the elected officials and the employees of their city are devoted to the city in a way that really you don't see very often … Sorry, I don't have more voice or I would probably go on longer. But it has been a pleasure and an honor to be with all of you.”
Mayor Don Still said, “Catherine, it's always been a pleasure that I knew you were one phone call away, and it was handled. And that's the way it always been with you since I've been on the board. You’ve always been professional, and I didn’t have to worry about how things went. You took care of things very well and you were more of a friend than anything else. And I appreciate everything you've done for the city. It’s been a good ride, and I hope you enjoy your retirement. and anytime you get a hole or a problem with the street, just call me.”
The board and all attending applauded Cook.
Asked during the board’s executive session what she was most proud of in her 32 years of service to the city, Cook said, “We've had a few weather disasters and our crews, our city have done so well. Not because of anything that I did, but because of who they are and how they are. During storms, snow-storms, wind, straightline wind, tornadoes, anything like that, they've done it all. And they really are such a devoted crew and people don’t know enough about them …They’re just workers, hard workers.”
Assistant City Manager and Police Chief J.R. Wilson will assume her duties on an interim basis starting in January as the City Board continues its search for Cook’s permanent successor.
The one action item on the agenda concerned a request for annexation from Rainbow of Challenges that has been reviewed by the Hempstead County Judge, Clerk amd Assessor, the Arkansas Geographic Information Office and a local surveyor. Rainbow bought the property at 3319 Patmos Road, the former Wee People College, for use to develop a group home there. Rainbow CEO Judy Watson told the board, “What we're looking at doing there is a small group home, four beds, and then it has apartments in the back that that the [former owners] were using as an apartments that we will use as apartments, again, for people that live in the community. They don't have to have someone on site all the time.”
The board approved the ordinance supporting the annexation. Next the petition will go to the County Clerk and the County Judge who can, on the determination all requirements are met, issue an order confirming the annexation.
During City Manager’s Report, which Wilson gave in Cook’s stead, Wilson said the Sixth Street Project was making progress, while the change order on Streetscape had been received by the contractor and was awaiting response.
In January, Wilson said his staff would be bringing up the Ultraviolet wastewater treatment project for the board’s consideration as to how to pay for it. A grant proposal for financing has been turned down by the state, but the project is required by state regulations by a certain deadline. “We will do everything we can to get as close to that deadline as possible,” Wilson said. But it is likely the project will not be complete by then. The city has communicated with Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality on the matter and Wilson will report the DEQ’s response as it comes.
The Pocket Park’s electric line has been placed underground. Only one utility line, for telephone service, remains to be dealt with. The goal is to complete the Park by the end of the year. Wilson also praised Cook as a good boss and mentor.
This was when Cook gave her farewell speech.
The board went into about 20 minutes of executive session. After it came back into the board room, Mayor Still announced no action had been taken. Then he adjourned the meeting.
This afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at a called special meeting, the board voted on an emergency basis to accept a bid of $40,760 for additional repair work to City Hall from the firm currently working on repairs to its exterior, MTS Contracting of Kansas City. After a cleaning, a need for additional work was revealed where previous caulking and resealing had failed. The $40,760 is in addition to an $84,800 in work approved by the board in June.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAa-wUevCCw
Retiring City Manager Catherine Cook (second from left) with former Hope mayors Steve Montgomery (first from left), Dennis Ramsey (second from right) and current Hope Mayor Don Still (first from right)
