Thursday’s session of the Mountain Home City Council lasted just over an hour, and the majority of the time was spent on a discussion of flooding issues. Matt Sharp has the details.
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With Alderman Rick Pierce absent, the city council heard from Cooper Estates Homeowners Association President Deborah Fountain and developer Bob Gibson of Jonesboro about the problems the area has had since around 1989 or 1990, and Fountain says the problems have worsened with some of the heavy rains the Twin Lakes Area has received over the last few of years. She told the council some of Cooper Estates’ homes are surrounded by sandbags, and there are plans in the works for 48 new condominiums. Mountain Home Street Superintendent Amon Tilley said he’s been in talks with the association about a new easement to drain rainwater from Bradley Drive. He said it won’t solve all their issues, but they shouldn’t experience as much flooding. Tilley says he has a crew ready to work on the easement, but he needs the approval of the homeowners association to go forward. Mayor Joe Dillard asked the association to meet and make a decision by this coming Thursday on the easement.
In other business, the council voted to set up a bank account for an economic project. In October, Baxter International announced it was expanding its Mountain Home manufacturing facility and adding 225 full-time employees during a five-year period, and it received a grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Jay Stallard represented the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District during Thursday’s meeting, and the council unanimously gave him the go-ahead to open the “Baxter E.D. Project” account at First Security Bank.
The city council also voted to expand the Mountain Home Cemetery Committee. In addition to reappointing Charlotte Horton and Rick Spencer to three-year terms, the council was also asked to increase its members from five to seven by adding Alderman Jennifer Baker and Alan Arnold for two-year terms. With Baker abstaining, the rest of the council approved the measure.
In addition, money was transferred to the street department for the purchase of new equipment. During the report from the Street Committee, Alderman David Almond said the department needed $16,000 to buy a new jackhammer, and the council unanimously agreed.
The meeting ended with Mayor Dillard announcing a project he and Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass have been working on with the Delta Regional Authority. In June 2017, a special U.S. Air Force Clinic will be held in Mountain Home. Dillard says it’s an innovative readiness training Air Force doctors will go through for a certain period of time, and this clinic will available to anyone. Dillard says more details are to come.
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