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QUORUM COURT APPROVES GRANT APPLICATIONS

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 12:15 AM CST

Several volunteer fire departments in Jefferson County that want to upgrade their facilities or services will be able to apply for state grants, the Jefferson County Quorum Court decided Monday.

Money from the 2009 General Improvement Fund was made available to several agencies, including the Highway 15 Volunteer Fire Department that is applying for $25,557 to add a bay at the existing fire station.

The Linwood/Moscow Volunteer Fire Department is asking for $20,259.92 to buy additional equipment; the Hardin Volunteer Fire Department is seeking $21,291.90, also for equipment, while the Swan Lake Volunteer Fire Department has asked for $40,000 to add an additional fire truck storage building.

All of those funds will come from the state Department of Rural Services Fire Protection Grant.

Also approved was an application for a $100,000 grant for Hestand Stadium, with the money to be used to re-roof the building, repair electrical outlets and bathrooms, and add 26 recreational vehicle hook-ups, including water, sewer and electrical connections.

Another grant application, for the Arkansas 2-1-1 call center for $50,000 that was recommended for approval last week during committee meetings was pulled by County Judge Mike Holcomb.

Holcomb said he made the decision after reports that the call center had ceased operations and several attempts to contact officials from the center were unsuccessful.

A $4,689 appropriation from county general fund was approved by the county’s legislative body Monday, with those funds to be used to buy three radar units for Arkansas State Police troopers who work in the county.

A report from Troop E of the state police, which includes Jefferson County, showed that troopers wrote 2,808 speeding tickets last year, an average of 208 a month, and generated $210,600 in fines.

Also approved by the Quorum Court was a $35,000 appropriation for the Circuit Clerk’s Office, $25,000 for the County Clerk’s Office, and $3,000 for the JP Levying Court to cover expenses, which includes the cost of publishing ordinances and resolutions in The Commercial.

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