Mayor has lengthy opening for council

PRESCOTT – July’s meeting of the Prescott City Council, Monday night, began with Mayor Terry Oliver giving a lengthy welcome.

Normally, Oliver welcomes those present and the meeting begins. However, this meeting was different. Oliver said the vibe at city hall was negative at the time and around town. He said Jason Butler, who was on the agenda later, would put some excitement in the building.

Oliver continued saying there have been people bragging on the council, saying how the meetings were longer and more contentious in the old days, as well as being confrontational, but now go smoothly, efficiently and professionally, taking care of the business at hand. The council, he added, listens, as a sign of respect for one another. He urged the council not to lower its standards for anyone or anything. “Respect is earned,” he said.

He pointed out his concerns for the city as well, saying there are a lot of good employees who are tired of being talked about negatively on social media and being criticized. Several will be retiring soon, roughly 40 percent of the city’s workforce, and they’ll be hard to replace because no one wants to be criticized for doing their job. Oliver named the employee who will be retiring or leaving the city soon. He pointed out they all have stressful jobs, some have dangerous jobs, and a lot of people aren’t qualified to do them.

He talked about working with young people and how they aren’t willing to work for the city because of the negative criticism on social media and get depressed. “There’s a lot to think about for the future of this community.”

But he wasn’t done. He said young people are scared and confused and need adults to be role models and not do crazy things around them. “We need to stand out and excel for the community and do what we can to help install love in Prescott. It left over the years, but we need to help our friends and neighbors, show compassion, which is contagious. If you don’t love Prescott enough to be happy here the answer is simple – leave.”

Jamie Hillery, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, followed talking about the groundbreaking for a pavilion in Emmet on July 21 at Firemen’s Park at 11 a.m. This is a project from the Emmet Vision Association.

She added a ribbon cutting was held for Trina’s Diner recently that was well attended. She said everything she’s tried there has been good and encouraged everyone to support this business.

In addition, on Aug. 11, from 5-7 p.m. at the Prescott City Park, South Central Connect will be hosting a back to school cookout with hot dogs, chips and drinks. Company representatives will also be available to discuss high speed internet service. She said the company hopes to start connecting homes to their service by the end of August.

Ann Jordan, Prescott police chief, talked about National Night Out on Aug. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. This event, she said, is about building community relationships, adding the department does other things throughout the year as well.

Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office (EDO), said the local government session for Leadership Nevada County went well, and several members of the class were in attendance at the meeting. The sidewalk project is basically finished, except for a section by the car wash on Hwy. 67 that has ruts. However, drier weather is needed before these repairs can be made and the project completed. She visited with engineers for the drainage project, with bids to be let soon. Work, she said, could start in late summer or early fall.

Godwin told the council lightning stuck her office three weeks ago and damaged the electronics, knocking out the air conditioning. The ac is back on at this time, as are the other electronics.

As to yards, Godwin said no letters will be sent out asking people to mow as it’s rained almost daily in July.

She and Oliver attended a resource fair at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana recently, with all the directors of state agencies on hand to talk to about projects communities are looking into and possible grants available. She said once the city hires a new attorney, hopes are to finish the paperwork on the zoning situation so the zoning commission can begin meeting. Once again, she added, there are problems with the TA road as a large section has collapsed. She said the city doesn’t have a price yet on repairs, and this problem will be addressed at the end of the year with the budget committee.

On the topic of broadband internet, she said a committee has been formed with around 20 people and needs to meet monthly. This is a state requirement and the goal is to make sure everyone in every county in the state has access to broadband as speeds the state thinks is needed. She asked everyone to do a survey, of six or seven questions, that only takes a few minutes as this will help pinpoint the community’s needs.

Jason Butler was up next. Along with YEE, he’s hosting a 5K run-walk Saturday, July 22, with a $500 prize for the fastest male and female runner. This is a YEE stamp race timing certified course, starting and ending at Elm Street by Mac’s Tire. There will also be a YEE stamp approved mystery time prize of $100. Entry is $30 with the race starting at 7:30 a.m. Registration will be from 6-7 a.m. the day of the race. After the race, the fun continued with Flexxx Day Fun Day Bro. Holiday at the Prescott Raceway. Doors open at 10 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Admission is $30. There will be Corvette races, motorcycle races, live entertainment, bounce houses, food vendors a dance competition and bench press contest. Entertainers include: Biglyfe, Don Sinatra, Sarahlynn, Soutside Reggie, Hustle Cartel, Zaehd and DJ Sgt. B.

However, the main focus of Butler’s meeting with the council is an attempt to start a Health and Wellness program in Prescott. He said he has the equipment and energy, but needs a location that will hold at least 50 people at a time. There will be no charge for the class to those who attend. He said each class will last eight weeks and have 50 people, with two classes going daily, one in the morning and one in the evening. The old Prescott High School gym or McRae gym would be perfect. Those in the class would work out three times a week with a mix of older and younger people in the class.

Paul Ridgell addressed the council, first introducing Jamie Simmons, the new curator of the Nevada Depot-Museum. He talked about improvements made, adding there have been a lot of visitors, especially to the caboose. He added, the museum owns property across the street that will be used to park RV and campers coming to town. This will give the visitors time to tour Prescott, visit the businesses and add to the local economy. He pointed out the new hours for the museum are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and a goal is to turn the museum into a visitor’s center along with it being a museum. “Tourism is a big deal,” he said, “and Interstate 30 is where most of the money is coming from.

Simmons talked about improvements to the prairie, saying plans are to add a walking/hiking trail and having interpretive signs along the way. The idea is to eventually be able to host events such as reunions and weddings at Prairie D’Ane to bring people to the area. At this time, she added, they are working to get more money for the museum to make it more sustainable.

Ridgell said there will be a solar eclipse in April 2024 which will slow traffic on I-30 to a crawl. Plans are to set up a place where people can view the eclipse at Prairie D’Ane. He continued, saying there are three ponds that can be used for fishing derbies, and the walking/hiking trail will be 1/2 mile to start, expanding to two miles later on.

Kathy Sidoti asked why the traffic light at 67 and Elm can’t be removed as it’s not needed as there’s little traffic from the Elm St. side. Larry Jones, Jr. pointed out this is on a state highway and has nothing to do with the city. There are procedures, he said, to follow, and it’s feasible, but will require state approval.

The meeting ended with Adam Beck letting the council know of derelict structures on Wildcat Road that are a danger to children as some are near collapsing.