City engineer shares update, reminds public new skate park closed during renovation

By Andrea Bruner, White River Now

Despite the recent loss of the project superintendent and an on-site injury, work continues at the Batesville Water Treatment Plant.

Public Works Engineer Damon Johnson informed the Batesville City Council on Tuesday night that the crews have remained resilient, keeping the renovation on track during a difficult time.

Johnson said an employee of TOLM Group, Inc. suffered a broken leg on the city’s job site when a pipe rolled over on him, and an investigation followed to ensure the general contractor is taking proper measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Meanwhile, the job site superintendent had an unexpected health problem and passed away recently, Johnson went on to say. He said that thanks to the “good leadership” established on-site, the TOLM crew has been able to honor the project’s timeline while staying in close coordination with the city.

Moving on to other city business, Johnson said, since the last council meeting, the city had experienced a snowstorm that resulted in several inches of snow, followed by a few inches of sleet on top. He said this mixture resulted in a “hard crust” on the streets that made plowing very difficult.

He acknowledged the frustrations of some residents who felt like the city could have done more, but said employees had to go slow so they did not break equipment. He also said all city departments pitched in to clear parking lots and other paths. “Our guys all worked hard,” he said.

Alderman Robb Roberts agreed, emphasizing the impact of the snowstorm, particularly on city employees. “A lot of people spent a lot of hours away from families, keeping roads passable and water flowing.”

“We were fortunate to have no significant damage; this was more than we’re used to dealing with in northern Arkansas. We spent a week and a half cleaning up the mess, but now both projects at the river (the water treatment plan and the Riverside Park expansion) are back on track,” Johnson said.

He said the roof is being installed on the new events center, and while dirt work at the site has slowed down, crews are ahead of schedule at the park.

Johnson also the new skate park is inside “an active construction site” and therefore closed to the public. He urges people “to be patient and not try to use the facility” until renovations are finished the park has officially reopened.

Despite the recent snow and wintry mix, Johnson said both the water and wastewater treatment plans “fared pretty well.” He said extreme cold weather makes treating wastewater a challenge, and the plant had to slow down the discharge flow as the biologics treating the wastewater do not perform well in cold weather. However, Johnson said, the wastewater plant has since returned to normal discharge levels.

Regarding the merger with the Bethesda water system, the city will soon be advertising a public hearing to accept comments regarding the merger. City Attorney Tim Meitzen estimated the hearing to take place in mid-March.

In other business Tuesday night:

–Batesville Police Chief John Scarbrough asked the council to approve sending six officers for peer support training in Kansas City in June. The city employee handbook states that the council must approve all out-of-state training. The council approved. Scarbrough said the training, with early registration, will cost $59 per person, not including lodging, but they are looking at a home rental to allow the group to stay together at a cheaper price than standard motel rooms.

Mayor Rick Elumbaugh asked Scarbrough to review how officers are paid overtime, and the chief explained that, according to state law, officers may work 86 hours in a two-week period, but anything over that is considered overtime. Scarbrough said in the past, the city gave “comp time” to officers working over 84 hours, but that was under an old, erroneous system and has since been corrected.

Scarbrough also noted that the police department currently has one vacancy.

Scarbrough also presented his monthly report, which showed a decrease in calls for service from the previous month – 919 in January, compared to 1,207 in December, 1,026 in November, 2,205 in October, and 1,093 calls in September. There were 32 accidents last month (compared to 52 in December, 36 in November, 46 in October, and 69 in September). There were 22 arrests (31 in December, 30 in November, 29 in October, and 32 in September), 46 incident reports (68 in December, 62 in November as well as in October), 104 citations (200 in December, 155 in November, 161 in October, and 211 in September), and 149 warnings (232 in December, 236 in November, 204 in October, and 170 in September).

There were also six Freedom of Information requests last month.

Scarbrough said two officers had completed the Arkansas State Police Tactical Vehicle Intervention School in January, which he said is “always a busy month for the department getting caught up on state-mandated annual training.”

–The council approved a resolution authorizing the Batesville Water Utility to enter into a formal water utility agreement with Cushman.

–The council also approved an ordinance to amend various residential provisions of Title 14 Zoning of the city’s municipal code, which Elumbaugh said was a “clean-up” of the city’s zoning codes.

–Following an executive session, the council took no action on a “personnel” issue.

–Elumbaugh said he and Alderman Lackey Moody had recently met with Mollie Moore, a local Girl Scout looking to earn her Gold Award with a renovation project at the veterans flag plaza at the corner of St. Louis and Boswell streets.

The council approved a motion to allow Moore to continue the work at no cost to the city.

Elumbaugh noted that Independence County Veterans Service Office Josh Morrison spoke at last week’s City-County Connections meeting at The River. Morrison and a group of veterans are planning to build a new American Veterans Memorial inside Riverside Park, and Elumbaugh said they have a goal to raise $500,000.

–The council approved paying $145,288 for new exercise equipment at the community center by moving money from the perpetual fund.

There were no comments from citizens. Aldermen Fred Krug and Landon Reeves were absent.