The meeting is available to watch on the city’s facebook page.
The meeting also marked the return of City Director Mark Ross to city board meetings after recovering from a stroke.
Once the preliminaries of the call to order, invocation, pledge of allegiance and review and approval of minutes were done the city board’s next installment of Hope For the Future meeting items began. This time Jeremy Stone, who has performed engineering services for the city for many years, provided information about plans for the fire station, which would be financed by a sales tax the board may place on this November’s ballot.
Workups of the exterior and interior of the proposed new fire department headquarters were shown on the screen in the city board room. Stone said the building would encompass 9,000 square feet with 6,000 taken up by the truck bays and not needing to be air conditioned. Asked about the acreage needed for the building, Stone said it would take a minimum of two but would be better with four. The building will allow for more room for modern fire trucks as well as two ways into and out of the bays.
Stone provided a tentative timetable on the building’s construction of eight to nine months, saying it was possible that the building could be moved into by late 2026, assuming Hope’s voters approve the tax to fund it.
City Manager J.R. Wilson said Hope Fire Department Number 2 would probably be kept because of its role in Hope’s insurance rating, but Fire Station 1 would be closed.
Dan Baronek, another engineer, from McClelland Engineers in Little Rock, presented diagrams and cost estimates for upgrades to Fair Park, the Soccer Complex, Kelly and Kawanas Fields, Northside Park as well as plans and cost estimates for a new recreational/aquatic center. Together these were referred to during the meeting as a masterplan which city officials and citizens will have input on prior to their being adopted. The cost to build out the Park Masterplan with the recreational/aquatic center totaled just over $41 million. Without the center, the total was a little over $14 million. The amounts would be paid for over a period of about 30 years.
A steering committee, composed of several Hope citizens, Mayor Don Still, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Summer Chambers and City Manager J.R. Wilson) has been meeting with representatives from McClelland Engineers to put together the Park Masterplan. It’s anticipated the discussions within the steering committee of about the plan will continue.
At Wilson’s request the city board agreed to meet one hour before the May 7th regular meeting for a public working meeting about the project.
Other business:
· The board approved an amendment to the city’s Animal Control Ordinance to allow Hope Public Schools to keep a maximum of 15 animals—no horses or cattle--at an upgraded facility on the Hope High campus. Hope Public Schools Superintendent Jonathan Crossley said the new Animal Lab would work with rabbits, sheep and goats and a fence would be built around the area to allay potential concerns about the animals’ visibility. Vice mayor Kiffinea Talley abstained but the rest of the board voted in favor.
· The city’s Franchise and Video Service Fees ordinance was updated for the first time since 2015 which, as the City Manager’s Agenda Information states, “establishes two different fee rates as allowed by state law” and “also adds penalties for failure to comply with on-time payments and failure to move services when requested.” It also “sets forth rules for cutting and or burrowing under city streets, alleys and or sidewalks.” The board approved this on a unanimous vote.
· The board repealed an ordinance made redundant by another ordinance passed March 19th.
· Two rezoning requests were approved. One would allow a property on 513 West Division to be used as an insurance company and auto dealership. The other allows for a manufactured home to be placed at the corner of North Edgewood and Rosehill. Both requests were previously approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and approved unanimously by the city board.
· The board was presented with the Quarterly Financial Report. Wilson said he thought the budgets were looking good based on expectations. Financial reports will be presented monthly as handouts to the directors and any questions members had could be answered in meetings or by phone call to him or Finance Director Cindy Clark.
In his City Manager’s Report, Wilson said city staff, engineers and construction workers met April 9 at Hope Municipal Airport in anticipation of starting the drainage project there. He also announced the city dispatch would answer emergency calls from the Industrial Park and Airport area despite those not falling within the city’s allocated service area. The calls would be referred to Hope Fire Department or county responders and this would not affect the services already provided in those areas.
Wilson said he would be attending a city manager’s conference in Little Rock soon. He also announced April 27th, a Saturday, to be City-wide Cleanup Day. Amber Murr, who has served with the city for 17 years, will be taking a new position as the ArTex Council of Governors HR director. Her last day is May 1st.
Mayor Still asked Wilson about progress on getting approval for the city to contribute work to the ongoing Sixth Street Project. Wilson said he was hearing that the state would certainly approve it, but the city had not yet received a change order reflecting that.
A couple who lives on East Compass Street reported on a drainage situation that poses health dangers to residents and neighbors. Wilson said he would visit the site of the problem Wednesday.
