PRAIRIE GROVE CITY COUNCIL : Prairie Grove joins regional mobility authority group
Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/66277/
PRAIRIE GROVE — The city became the first in Washington County to join the Northwest Arkansas Regional Mobility Authority.
The Prairie Grove City Council voted unanimously at its meeting Monday to become a part of the authority, which will pursue funding sources such as sales taxes and toll roads to try to help complete several transportation projects in Northwest Arkansas.
The passed ordinance allows Prairie Grove a spot on the authority’s advisory board.
Five other Washington County cities — Fayetteville, Farmington, Lincoln, Springdale and West Fork — seven cities in Benton County and two in Madison County will have a member on the board, said Mike Malone, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Council, which has worked to establish the authority.
“ As a region, we’re going to have to figure out where we’re going (with transportation ), ” Malone said.
A fact sheet provided by Malone stated that the authority might move along projects like a Springdale northern bypass, a western beltway and Interstate 540 upgrades.
The authority will be a new government entity but will not interfere with state and federal transportation departments, Malone said.
Also Monday, the City Council saw how bad its cast-iron water pipe problem really is.
City Business Manager Larry Oelrich showed the council seven to eight miles of the rusty pipes that carries water mostly through the central area of town.
“ I think it’s clear to see that we’re not talking about a quick fix, ” he told aldermen once they saw the layout of the pipes on a computer screen.
The main problem with the pipes is they leak water and when something, like a fire hydrant being opened, stirs the pipes some water customers receive a reddish discharge from all the rust in the older pipes.
Oelrich told the council that few of the pipes are slated to be replaced in the city’s five-year water and sewer line improvement plan. He has said in the past that it would take about $ 3 million to replace all the cast-iron pipes in the city’s system.
The council also talked Monday about redrawing the city’s wards to redistribute some of the higher-populated districts. Mayor Sonny Hudson expected to look at a newly drawn map by the July 21 meeting.
Additionally, the group passed a resolution to allow people to shoot off fireworks within the city limits from 9 a. m. to 11 p. m. on July 4. Bottle and stick rockets will be prohibited.