97 apply for code enforcement post

PRESCOTT – A total of 97 people applied for the position of code enforcement officer for the City of Prescott.

The Prescott City Council was informed of this at its June meeting Monday night. Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver said the position was advertised in several media outlets with the result surprising pretty much everyone. Of the 97 applicants, 34 were from Prescott and Nevada County, 18 from Hope, 28 from other towns in Southwest Arkansas, four from towns in Northeast Texas, other than Texarkana, and five from various states. Now, he said, the hiring committee will be tasked with going through the applications to find the best person for the job. “This will be good for the hiring committee to get broke in on.”

While Connie Beard still holds the position, technically, she is no longer getting paid, nor is the job being done.

In other business, the council approved an interlocal agreement with the Nevada County Fair Association, basically agreeing to continue doing what the city is already doing.

Questions were raised about the parks hours of operation. Steve Crow, director of the Parks and Recreations Department, said right now the parks are pretty much open 24-7 as there are no set hours. He told the council it could pass an ordinance to set hours of operation for the parks.

Oliver said the Parks Commission could approve hours for the parks. City Attorney Glenn Vasser said an ordinance would allow the city to cite and fine people who violate the hours, but this isn’t necessarily needed. No action was taken on the matter.

Prescott Police Chief Joey Beavers told the council the pair who robbed the Dollar General Store recently have been captured. The duo, a man and woman, he said, were in the midst of what appeared to be a nationwide crime spree as they were tracked from Wisconsin to Pensacola, FL, and Miami before heading to New Orleans and Houston. The two eventually made it to Prescott where the vehicle they’d stolen somewhere broke down on I-30 and they apparently walked to Dollar General, where the manager was robbed and had her car stolen.

From Prescott, the pair went to Illinois, then to Mississippi where they were caught. At some point, Beavers said, the female was ejected from the vehicle and was left behind by her partner. She reportedly suffered a broken back.

Because of the interstate nature of the crimes, the case is under federal jurisdiction and is being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The council applauded Beavers and the PPD for their part in the case.

In other business, Larry Faulkner complained about overpass traffic saying a lot of drivers, primarily loggers, are speeding and creating a hazardous situation when coming off the blind curve. He suggested the city install cameras to record the infractions or park a police car nearby with darkened windows so motorists couldn’t tell if an officer was inside or not.

Beavers said the PPD is aware of the situation and recently got approved for a grant to purchase two new radar guns.

As the meeting concluded Jerry Hightower reminded everyone about the fireworks show at Prescott High School on June 29. He said the public is invited to watch the show from the home stands at Cummings Field while the fireworks are shot from the baseball diamond at the Jones Sports Complex. Food vendors will be on hand and the PHS Band Boosters will have the concession stand open. The gates open at 8 p.m. with the show starting at 9.