Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Why we needed Fayetteville's newly approved streamside ordinance many years ago: A few photos of stream abuse witnessed March 21, 2011

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE views of pollution headed directly to Spout Spring Branch without the polluted water being allowed to soak in and be cleansed before heading to Beaver Lake.
Unpleasant looking runoff from storm drain on north edge of Fifteenth Street. Is it caused by naturally occurring algae or by whatever a homeowner on South College Avenue dumped from a bucket shown in photo below?

Drain entrance still wet two hours after I watched a guy dump a bucket there. Material appeared to be white paint chips and thick plastic-like goo that could be material from a paint can.



Flow from storm drain above enters Spout Spring Branch on north side of 15th Street.


The gel-like material at first glance looked like icicles but the the temperature hadn't been below freezing for more than a week.


Seeds from pod of vine milkweed knocked down by Arkansas Highway Department machines dredging ditch the routes water from a storm drain on the south side of 15th Street directly into Spout Spring Branch. Milkweed plants of all varieties provide foliage to the caterpillars of monarchs and a few other species of butterfly and logically would be protected by a state highway department whose Web site touts its wildflower program.

Back on the northside of 15th Street, which is a state highway at that point, the water polluted by something but at least there is a remnant of vegetation including the same milkvine and a few other native species.

The highway workers dredged out part of the business owner's landscaping and widened and deepened the ditch. And hauled away the good soil to its dump in south Washington County.



Both the dumping of ANYTHING into a storm drain and the dredging of the ditch and allowing erosion violate best-management practices for watershed management and were already illegal before Fayetteville's new streamside ordinance was passed. If the ADEQ and the AHTD and the US Corps of Engineeers won't protect our water supply, maybe this new ordinance will embolden city officials to see that such things don't happen so often in the future.

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Almost complete meeting of Telecom Board's complaint subcommittee on March 14, 2011

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Agenda for today's 6 p.m. meeting of the Fayetteville City Council discussed last week. See details in video below



Mayor Lioneld Jordan

City Attorney Kit Williams

City Clerk Sondra Smith
Aldermen
Ward 1 Position 1 – Adella Gray
Ward 1 Position 2 – Brenda Thiel
Ward 2 Position 1 – Mark Kinion
Ward 2 Position 2 – Matthew Petty
Ward 3 Position 1 – Justin Tennant
Ward 3 Position 2 – Robert Ferrell
Ward 4 Position 1 – Rhonda Adams
Ward 4 Position 2 – Sarah Lewis
Final Agenda
City of Fayetteville Arkansas
City Council Meeting
March 15, 2011

A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council will be held on March 15, 2011 at 6:00 PM in Room 219 of the City Administration Building located at 113 West Mountain Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas.


Call to Order

Roll Call

Pledge of Allegiance

Mayor’s Announcements, Proclamations and Recognitions:

City Council Meeting Presentations, Reports and Discussion Items:

Agenda Additions:

A. Consent:

1. Approval of the March 1, 2011 City Council meeting minutes.

2. Bid #11-16 Downing Sales and Service:  A resolution awarding Bid #11-16 and authorizing a contract with Downing Sales and Service in the amount of $166,308.00 for the purchase of one (1) refuse roll off truck for use by the Solid Waste Division, and approving a budget adjustment.


3. Bid #11-18 Sweetser Construction, Inc.:  A resolution awarding Bid #11-18 and authorizing a contract with Sweetser Construction, Inc. in the amount of $1,057,331.00 for the construction of water main interconnections and the Stone Mountain Pump Station for the Canterbury Road Water Tank, approving a project contingency of $53,000.00, and approving a budget adjustment.



4. Insituform Technologies, Inc.:  A resolution approving a contract extension with Insituform Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $330,000.00 for cured-in-place sanitary sewer linings.


5. Bid #11-20 North Point Ford:  A resolution awarding Bid #11-20 and authorizing a contract with North Point Ford in the amount of $90,020.00 for the purchase of two (2) Ford F-250 heavy duty pickup trucks for use by the fire department, and approving a budget adjustment.


6. Lake Sequoyah Lease Agreement with William Keith Shofner, Jr.:  A resolution approving a lease contract with William Keith Shofner, Jr. on 82.55 acres of land adjacent to Lake Sequoyah for purposes of pasturing cattle and horses, and cutting and baling hay.



7. Lake Sequoyah Lease Agreement with Jeff Price:  A resolution approving a lease contract with Jeff Price on 54.55 acres of land adjacent to Lake Sequoyah for purposes of pasturing cattle and horses, and cutting and baling hay.



8. Amend Resolution No. 05-07:  A resolution amending Resolution No. 05-07 to reduce the payment guarantee required of Meadows Enterprises, Inc. for the Dead Horse Mountain Road Bridge from $36,668.92 to $7,703.00.


B. Unfinished Business:

1. Huntingdon Heights Appeal:  An appeal of the City Engineer’s determination regarding the driveway approach at 3172 Warwick Dr.  This item was tabled at the February 3, 2011 City Council meeting to the February 15, 2011 City Council meeting.  This item was tabled at the February 15, 2011 City Council meeting to the March 15, 2011 City Council meeting.


C. New Business:

1. 2011 Employee Service Award Program & Merit-based Pay Increases:  A resolution amending the 2011 City budget by appropriating $629,900.00 for the implementation of an Employee Service Award Program for 2011 and for Merit-based Pay Increases not given during the last half of 2009.


2. CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc.:  A resolution approving an out of scope agreement with CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc. in the amount of $265,000.00 for development of a Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) on the White River, approving a $50,000.00 contingency, and approving a budget adjustment.



3. Arkansas Western Gas Company:  An ordinance waiving the requirements of formal competitive bidding and approving a contract with Arkansas Western Gas Company in the minimum amount of $715,560.00 for the provision of natural gas service and the construction of necessary piping and infrastructure extensions for biosolids drying operations at the Noland Wastewater Treatment Facility.


4. Amend §114.03 First Thursday Fayetteville:  An ordinance amending subsection (B) of §114.03 First Thursday Fayetteville of Chapter 114: Food Sales of the Code of Fayetteville to add additional locations for the event.


5. Amend §117.102 Pedicab Permitted Zone of Operation and Approved Fixed Routes:  An ordinance to amend §117.102 Pedicab Permitted Zone of Operation and Approved Fixed Routes (B) Route Approval and (F) of the Fayetteville Code to allow use of pedicabs on streets with a posted speed limit of thirty-five (35) miles per hour or higher if authorized by the Transportation Services Director and (D) to allow pedicabs to operate on Scull Creek Trail, Mud Creek Trail and Frisco Trail.



6. Amend §174.03 Exemptions:  An ordinance to amend §174.03 Exemptions of Chapter 174 Signs of the Fayetteville Code to allow advertising on pedicabs.


7. Amend §117.47 Advertising:  An ordinance to amend §117.47 Advertising of the Fayetteville Code to remove authorization to place advertising signs on taxicabs.


Announcements:

Adjournment:

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

2006 Divinity Hotel plan evokes conversation with lifetime resident of Fayetteville on Dickson Street

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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Night before Streamside Ordinance was passed by City Council, it was discussed during Ward 4 meeting

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