In its first attempt at receiving a Brownfield Grant, Mayor Crystal
Herrmann reported the grant request was denied. Since becoming mayor
of Alexander in January, 2023 the city has been following the
numerous steps necessary to receive a Brownfield grant from the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant program is
funded by the EPA and is used to clean properties where the
presence, or potential presence, of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant makes development difficult.
Herrmann has been attempting to acquire a Brownfield grant in order
to make the former Alexander Human Development Center (AHDC) property
safe for development. The expectation is the former hospital
building contains asbestos, lead paint and potentially other unknown
hazards.
It wasn’t a total loss. We now have an estimated price tag for just
removing the health hazards before demolishing the building.
At the August 17 council meeting Herrmann said, “But, considering
after visiting with some contractors as far as just the abatement,
that's not getting rid of the building, but just the abatement, we're
looking at the $800 to $900,000 by itself. Just to (sic) abatement.”
When asked about razing the building without going through the
abatement process Herrmann explained all of the rubble will be
disposed as hazardous waste, instead of a smaller amount when abated
first. There is a cost to disposing hazardous waste.
“So you do want to abate it before you knock it down, if there's
any way possible, because if you do not abate it first, once it's
knocked down, then all of the materials they get pulled off have to
be treated as hazardous waste,” Herrmann said.
The city will submit another grant request, but the mayor noted as
time goes on the cost will probably increase. Herrmann said the city
will have to fund a portion of the cost. Although, she didn’t say
what percentage would be the city’s share.
Herrmann said she will continue to look for other funding options.
She also suggested that they begin budgeting for the matching funds
and the possibility of having to go it alone.
The AHDC property, located along Highway 111 in South Alexander, was
originally the site of the first tuberculosis sanitarium for
African-Americans in Arkansas. Eventually, it was converted into a
home for any adult with special needs that required care and training
from professionals.
When the Arkansas Department of Human Services no longer had a use
for the property it was deeded to Alexander in 2018. Under state law
the property could not be sold to an individual. It could only be
taken over by another government entity such as a municipality or
county. The goal has been to find a developer who can turn it into a
commercial center.
After the city took ownership of the 65-acre property the building
was mostly destroyed by fire. The fire was ruled as arson but no one
has ever been charged.
Mayor to spend $3,000 for street survey
Mayor Herrmann reported to council members she is hiring Argon, a
company that will survey city streets and rate their condition from
good to bad. She says the information will be used to establish a
street maintenance schedule.
“Argon, and they offer a service to come in and do an assessment on
all of our city streets,” Herrmann began. “And it will rate the
streets. And it will give us a good, ... bad, like the worst grades.
They offer multiple services, but they might actually be able to also
give us like culvert counts, conditions and things to that nature as
well.”
Herrmann said the survey will be limited to the older areas of the
city. St. Joseph’s Glen and Meadow’s Edge streets won’t be
included. For their basic services she estimated the cost around
$3,000.
“So I think just from the basics of it was like around $3,000, and
I felt like it's a very good tool that we can use for the street
department,” Herrmann said. “Because then we can start a schedule
of maintenance, sealing a lot of places. So we can take a look at
what we want to do repairs on and also start that maintenance
schedule.”
In November, 2015 Alexander paved the first set of streets funded by
a grant that’s part of the State Aid City Streets program. Cities
are offered access to this program as part of a gasoline tax passed
by voters to upgrade interstate and state highways along with city
and county streets and roads. The last set of streets paved
under this grant program, which was approved in 2022, were paved in
2023.
A city or county is allowed to submit a request every three years.
During the three-year gap Alexander paved additional streets using
revenue in the street fund. Herrmann said the grant program may not
serve the city’s needs much longer.
“[W]e're on every three years of the highway program,” she said.
“And that's not going to work for very long. Like it officially,
we're going to end up with more bad roads than good. So if we start a
maintenance schedule and you lost this tool (the grant), it'll keep
us on track to keep the things that we have in good standing. And
then be able to also move more of the other places.”
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, September
21, at 6:00 PM in the courtroom of the Alexander Municipal Complex
(City Hall). Meetings are open to the public.