A screenshot of an actDataScout.com map overlay showing a parcel of land set to be purchased by the City of Arkadelphia.
By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
During a regular meeting at Town Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Arkadelphia City Board of Directors gave unanimous approval to purchase 1.94 acres on W.P. Malone Drive north of and adjacent to Patterson Federal Credit Union.
A resolution passed at the meeting directs administration to buy the land for $10,000 from the T.O. Shepherd estate and directs the city manager to sign the appropriate documents.
The acreage includes a wastewater line that serves residents and businesses west of Interstate 30. Its purchase gives access to Arkadelphia Water Utilities for servicing and repairing the infrastructure.
Directors asked questions about the property before giving their nod to the resolution. Wes Lemons, utilities manager, said the property contains a “major creek” that could hinder access to the sewer line, and is accessible now by a 5-foot easement on the property. Asked about future plans for the acreage, Lemons said the intentions are to keep the area wooded. He was unsure whether the city will be able to acquire additional land from Olen Hendrix, who owns property sandwiched between the Shepherd land and a 3-acre strip of city-owned land along W.P. Malone Drive.
Funds for the acquisition come from working capital. A memo from City Manager Gary Brinkley to city directors notes that its previous approval to use bond money to purchase a new sewer pipe for the “Lift Station to Pond” project freed up $125,000.
At the motion of Director Jason Jones, the resolution carried 5-0.
In other business, the city manager’s report, read in absentia due to his presence at a conference, the Paint the Town Pink event was touted as a “huge success”; five new homes are being built in the city; and three tiny homes are going up at the municipal airport to serve as temporary dorms for pilots and medical staff for the recently announced Air Methods base.
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