Saturday, September 27, 2008

Painted lady nectaring on World Peace Wetland Prairie

Please click on images to ENLARGE photos of painted lady butterfly on zinnea on World Peace Wetland Prairie on September 23, 2008.


For Painted lady information
please click the link.
For Painted lady and Red Admiral information please click the link.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Morning News reports that developer was arrested again on suspicion of drunken driving

The Morning News

Local News for Northwest Arkansas


Police Again Arrest Developer For Drunken Driving

By THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- Developer Brandon L. Barber was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of driving drunk.

After Barber's arrest, police discovered he has two felony warrants in Las Vegas.

Barber, 32, of 3122 E. Township St. was charged in Las Vegas on Sept. 10 for theft and insufficient funds, said Officer Jay Rivera, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman.
For the rest of the story, copy and paste http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/09/25/news/092608fzbarberdwi.txt
or click on Barber again arrested on suspicion of drunken driving
Rivera wouldn't release details of the charges saying they were part of an ongoing investigation. Theft is defined in Nevada as unlawfully taking money or goods worth more than $250, he said.

The combination of the two charges usually means the suspect is accused of writing a check or entering into a contract worth more than $250 without the money to cover the expense, Rivera said. The two charges each carry penalties of at least one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, he said.

Barber's drunken driving arrest by Fayetteville police Thursday is the second since September 2006.

He was arrested about 5 a.m. at 3901 N. College Ave. for several motor vehicle violations. Police said his white BMW was stopped in the intersection of North College Avenue and Joyce Boulevard, blocking northbound traffic.

Barber failed a sobriety test then refused a blood alcohol test at the Washington County Detention Center, police said.

Barber, the sole owner of Lynnkohn LLC, filed in August for reorganization bankruptcy. The company's secured debts total $25.36 million, with Legacy National Bank holding an $18.72 million claim against the Legacy Building in downtown Fayetteville, a high-end condominium.

The bank foreclosed on the property, but the sale was stopped by Barber's bankruptcy filing. Four other banks also have claims against Barber that are tied up in the court proceeding.

Barber has repeatedly declined to comment on the bankruptcy and was unavailable Thursday for comment about the criminal charges against him.

He was released from the Washington County Detention Center on Thursday morning. Bond was $1,835.

The Morning News reports that school-board supports new high school on old site

The Morning News

Local News for Northwest Arkansas


New High School Gets Green Light On Current Site

By Rose Ann Pearce
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- A 21st century high school will be built on the current site of Fayetteville High School.
Please click on
High school to be rebuilt on site to read the rest of the story of copy and paste the code below:
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/09/25/news/092608fzfayschlbrd.txt

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Mayoral candidates to face public at 6:30 p.m. today at city library

Fayetteville Mayoral Candidate Forum and Membership Meeting
Wednesday, September 24
Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Room
Co-sponsors: The League of Women Voters and the Fayetteville Public Library
6 to 6:30PM: League recruitment reception for anyone interested in membership
6:30-8:00PM: Fayetteville Mayoral Forum
Candidates: Mayor Dan Coody, Alderman Lioneld Jordan, Walt Eilers,
Steve Clark, and Sami Sutton
Moderator: Mary Alice Serafini, President of the League of Women Voters of Arkansas
8 to 8:30PM: reception with the candidates
The forum will be televised on the Fayetteville Government Channel.

Check Fayetteville Government Channel 16 schedule for broadcast times for these and other candidate forums. For more information about any of the forums,
contact Bettie Lu Lancaster at 521-4069.

Ducks Unlimited Banquet October 2, 2008

Please click on images to ENLARGE.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Candidate forum at law school on Thursday sponsored by Sierra Club's Ozark Highlands Group

Sierra Club Candidate Forum this Thursday‏
From: owner-nw-ar-list@nw-ar.com on behalf of Stephen Smith (libertas72701@yahoo.com)
Sent: Mon 9/22/08 5:36 PM
Reply-to: libertas72701@yahoo.com
To: nw-ar-list@nw-ar.com
The Ozarks Headwaters Group of the Sierra Club will host a local Candidate Forum this Thursday, September 25th, 6:00-8:00 pm in the Courtroom (WATR 240) at the UA Law School. Candidates for City Council and Mayor will address environmental issues related to Fayetteville city government and take questions on the topic.

Public invited. Free parking in the deck south of the Arkansas Union after 5:00. Enter from Stadium Drive.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Plan for Arkansas 265 north to city limits open for public discussion this week

Highway department to hold public meeting on Arkansas 265
Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/69341/
The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Depar tment will hold a public involvement meeting in Fayetteville on Thursday, Sept. 25, to discuss plans for improvements to Arkansas 265.

Plans call for widening the highway to four lanes, extending from Arkansas 45 northward to the Fayetteville city limits. The Highway department will conduct the meeting to present minor changes in the design of the widening project. The design changes were made as a result of a new Access Management Plan under development in conjunction with the city of Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. The Access Management Plan determines the median break locations proposed in the design.

The meeting will be held from 4 to 7 p. m. at the Vandergriff Elementary School, 2975 E. Township St., in Fayetteville.

The public is invited to visit anytime during the scheduled hours to view displays, ask questions and offer comments. For more information, contact the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department’s Environmental Division at (501 ) 569-2281.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact: webmaster@nwanews.com
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Friday, September 12, 2008

Friday late-morning work on Center Street

Please click on image to ENLARGE center-street culvert construction.

Coody announces an October Surprise to bolster candidacy

Hundreds expected to attend first annual sustainability conference
BY SCOTT F. DAVIS Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/69029/
Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody on Thursday announced a new, annual sustainability summit that will be paid for by sponsors and open to the public at no charge.

Participants must register to attend the one-day Fayetteville Sustainability Summit on Oct. 10 in the Fayetteville Town Center. Breakout sessions will spill over into the University of Arkansas’ nearby Continuing Education Center.

The summit is designed to teach local and state leaders more about what Fayetteville and other cities are doing to reduce their impact on the environment.

John Coleman, the city’s sustainability coordinator, said in an interview he believes the session will be a good educational opportunity for local residents and business leaders. Fayetteville is the first city in the state to hire a sustainability coordinator.

Coleman said a larger number of UA students and faculty are expected to attend. City leaders from around the state are also likely to attend, he said a total of 250 free meals will be provided, but the conference can accept more participants, if necessary, he said.

Coody said Fayetteville has established itself as a national leader in the green movement, and he believes it is important to continue this momentum.

“In Fayetteville, we have the potential to become the hub of the green or sustainability movement,” Coody said. “It’s an opportunity that we have to take advantage of.”

U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, who will present opening remarks for the summit, is a member of a group of 16 bipartisan senators who are focusing on making the country more energy efficient and energy independent, Coody said.

The keynote speaker, John W. Mogge Jr., is the project manager for the construction of a Middle Eastern city that is designed to be the first in the world with no carbon footprint, Coody said. Mogge is a senior vice president at CH2M Hill, the engineering firm responsible for Fayetteville’s West Side Wastewater Treatment Plant.

A panel discussion will feature mayors from Austin, Texas, and Chapel Hill, N.C., who will talk about sustainability efforts in those communities, Coody said.

A product fair will showcase a number of different products and inform people about making better purchasing decisions, Coleman said.

Sponsors who will pay for the conference include Wal-Mart, CH2M Hill, KNWA, WinRock International and Procter & Gamble, Coody said.

Coody praised Wal-Mart for leading the green movement by requiring energy efficiency in its buildings and working to make its products and packaging more environmentally friendly. He said having Wal-Mart in the area makes it easier for Fayetteville to bring in business and city leaders interested in sustainability.

“They are changing the world,” Coody said.

The Fayetteville Sustainability Summit has been organized by the city with the support of the UA, Fayetteville Visitors Bureau and the Fayetteville Economic Development Council, Coody said.

Coody expects a good turnout because two similar events last year drew large crowds. More than 160 government leaders in June 2007 attended a conference hosted by the International Council of Local and Environmental Initiatives.

This event was so successful that the city hosted an event called the Climate Change Conversation, which drew more than 200 participants, Coody said.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact: webmaster@nwanews.com

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Big, blue hose takes water beyond nasty construction site on September 10, 2008

Please click on image to ENLARGE photo of view northeast from W. Center Street where Sweetser crew members are rapidly replacing an old rock-walled storm drain with a new concrete culvert. The big, blue plastic hose is designed to collect water flowing from the Dickson Street area to be pumped across the street to reenter Tanglewood Branch downstream. This reduces the load of mud from the construction site and thus the load of silt flowing toward Beaver Lake.

Clear water pumped from upstream of the construction site enters Tanglewood Branch to thin out the silt-laden yellow water that escaped the site on Monday and Tuesday. The 70- or 80-year-old rock-lined tunnel recently collapsed under the north lane of West Center Street, creating an emergency repair need on a busy street near the University of Arkansas.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

Trackhoe guru works gently in tough spot to protect water pipe and other utility lines

Please click on image to ENLARGE man doing the work for Sweetser to get West Center Street back in action as soon as possible.

Tanglewood Branch project sends mud to Beaver Lake but workers trying to minimize damage

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Sweetser machinery working on tunnel under Center Street.




Sweetser crew's careful work keeps water line safe under W. Center Street

Please click on images of Sweetser crew working on West Center Street on September 8, 2008.


Stone walls of Tanglewood Branch tunnel under W. Center Street being removed on August 8, 2008

Please click on image to enlarge view of trackhoe removing concrete from W. Center Street above the Tanglewood Branch tunnel.



Please click on image to ENLARGE view of stone-walled tunnel beneath W. Center Street through which Tanglewood Branch flows south after draining a large part of the downtown area of Fayetteville, Arkansas

Friday, September 5, 2008

Street committee chooses design for improving intersection

Committee members settle on redesign of intersection
BY DUSTIN TRACY Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Friday, September 5, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/68817/
Fayetteville Street Committee members came to a conclusion Thursday night on how to redesign the intersection of Mount Comfort Road, Shiloh Drive and Interstate 540.

The group voted 4-0 on a design that would redirect Shiloh Drive a few thousand feet north and send it west to bisect Deane Solomon Road. The design also includes a new road, a cul-de-sac that branches off of Mount Comfort Road just north of the I-540 southbound exit ramp. The new road gives access to the Farm Credit Services business currently located off Shiloh Drive.

City Engineer Ron Petrie said that after the design receives Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department approval and the city works out easement agreements with current property owners, it could send the project out to bid. Petrie said the approval and easement process should take about two months.

The decision on the design took a little while because an agreement could not be reached between the city, representatives from the Farm Credit Services business and a property owner who owns 24 acres of land that will be divided by the new Shiloh Drive.

Don Nelms, the owner of the 24 acres, said he wasn’t completely happy with any of the three options city engineers worked on to present, but that he was trying to cooperate and come to a solution.

“ I don’t think it’s good for us. I don’t think it’s good for the value of our land, but I’m willing to agree to this. I want to be a good neighbor, ” Nelms told the committee.

The part of Shiloh Drive that will be closed will remain intact. Petrie said it could be used as a part of the city’s trail system in the future.

“ We didn’t want to rip it up if there was some potential use for it, ” he said.

The redesign is part of a larger project to alleviate traffic problems along Mount Comfort Road all the way to Rupple Road, Petrie said.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact: webmaster@nwanews.com