When a governmental body meets, most of the time decisions are made by taking a vote of the body members. Sometimes a decision is made by doing nothing. During a recent special meeting of the Alexander Planning Commission one issue was decided with a proposal to the city council, the other was dealt with by no action.
No motion was made approving local businessman Walter Burgess joining the planning commission’s Citizens Advisory Committee. The meeting, however, did result in a proposal of a date, time and place to hold a public input meeting for the discussion of the Master Development Plan.
The Citizens Advisory Committee was formed to provide input from local citizens concerning the Master Development Plan. The new plan will aid Alexander officials, both current and future, in how the city should be developed based on input from residents and business owners. The last development plan was approved in 1982.
The next phase of writing the Master Development Plan is conducting a public input meeting. The meeting will give city residents and business owners the opportunity to provide opinions concerning the future growth of the city. From their input a preliminary plan will be written.
The first item of business at the March 8 special meeting was the request from Walter Burgess to join the advisory committee. If the name sounds familiar it’s because Burgess is running in the Republican Primary to represent District-81 in the Arkansas House of Representatives, which includes Alexander.
Burgess could not be present at the special meeting due to an engagement involving his campaign. He was, however, present at what was to be the planning commission’s regular meeting February 8. The meeting could not be held officially due to the lack of a quorum, but since everyone who was on the agenda was present the agenda items were discussed with no action being taken.
Since two of the planning commission members were not at the February 8 meeting, Chairman Michael Huck provided commission members with a written summary of Burgess’s comments from the February meeting.
During his presentation Burgess said he is part owner and Vice-President of Sales & Engineering at Power Technology, Inc. in Alexander. Power Technology has been in Alexander 22 years.
Although he lives in Bryant, Burgess volunteered to join the advisory committee as a, “Business resident of Alexander, not as a citizen of Alexander,” he said.
Among his many accomplishments includes currently serving on the board of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Vice-Chairman of the Arkansas Science & Technology Board; where he helps to administer approximately $4.5 million annually to support entrepreneurs, small businesses, growth and job creation.
After contacting Huck in December about joining the advisory committee, Burgess announced his run for the Arkansas House of Representatives. His press release announcing his candidacy included the usual list of accomplishments touting his qualifications to serve in the State House, including that he is the current Vice-Chairman of the Bryant Planning Commission.
Both Huck and Planning Commission Member Juanita Wilson pointed out that this would be, at the very least, a bad look for the city. Commission member Stephanie Beck asked if it was legal.
Beck said she knows the Bryant city attorney. After a quick text Beck reported, according to the attorney, it’s illegal to serve on two government bodies in different jurisdictions.
With that information in hand, there was no motion made to accept Walter Burgess as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee.
The planning commission still wants to increase the number of members on the advisory committee. Anyone interested in joining the committee should contact Chairman Michael Huck at pcchair@cityofalexander.com.
The discussion of the public input meeting for the Master Development Plan began with a review of what the meeting will entail for those who weren’t present in February. The public meeting will involve exercises to draw opinions out of people, allowing everyone the opportunity to participate.
At the February meeting Metroplan representative Bernadette Rhodes provided a general concept as to how the public input meeting will be conducted. The plan is to have tables, maps and charts setup so visitors can move from one to another taking part in the various exercises.
In a draft document provided by Rhodes since the February meeting, visitors will start at a table allowing them to sign-in and view the results of the public survey taken last year.
Another table will cover the topic of “Vision.” Residents will be asked, “In six words, describe what you would like Alexander to be like in the future.” The future is described as, “Looking ahead 25 years, how will your needs change when it comes to your transportation, housing, recreation, and employment?”
There will be an area devoted to “Transportation” where two questions will be asked; “What would make traffic flow better through Alexander?” and “Where do people most need safe paths for walking and biking?” A large map of city streets will be there to mark the various proposed changes.
“Land Use” will be the topic of another area at the public meeting. The question there will be, “If you were designing Alexander from scratch, which uses (types of homes/businesses/etc.) would you put where? (it can be a mix).” Again, a large map will be used to label areas of the city for Single Family Homes, Manufactured Homes, Apartments, Small retail/services, Large retail/office, Civic/community buildings, Park/recreation area, Medical, Industrial.
The last area for visitors will cover the category, “Making it happen.” The question there will be, “What is one small thing the city or community can do right now to make Alexander better or address something residents struggle with?”
In February Rhodes said once all the information and comments are collected Metroplan will write a first draft of a comprehensive development plan. That initial draft will be reviewed by the planning commission and the citizens advisory committee for feed-back and possible changes.
Eventually, a proposed final draft will be presented at a public hearing. At that time residents will be given the opportunity to comment on the plan.
Metroplan is a quasi government agency dedicated to providing general planning, mapping, and technical assistance to local governments in Central Arkansas. It’s major role is to work with local governments, the Arkansas Department of Transportation, and local transit providers to determine transportation needs and funding priorities for Federal transportation investments. Alexander pays an annual fee to be a member of Metroplan, allowing the city to take advantage of its services.
After much discussion it was decided to propose the public input meeting be held on June 25 at the city park from Noon to 3PM. This is all tentative until approved by the city council.
The park will allow parents the opportunity to bring their children to the playground. There was concern that adults with children might not attend if they would have to bring them along with nothing to do. The time, Noon to 3 PM, also provides residents a three-hour window to come and go at their convenience.
All of this will be presented to city council members at the March 21 council meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Alexander Planning Commission is April 12, 6:30 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex (city hall). The public is invited to attend.
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