Alexander Fall Festival this Saturday

This Saturday, September 29, the City of Alexander will hold its first Fall Festival. The festival will be held from 4 to 9 PM in the city park, across from the Dollar General. Everyone is invited and admission is free.

The city’s Events Committee has planned games and entertainment for the entire family. Food trucks will be available selling a variety of finger foods.

City officials see this as an opportunity to, “Take a moment to enjoy the progress we have made as a city.” This is also an opportunity to showcase the amazing transformation the park has undergone in the past two years.

Alexander council clears way for two potential development projects

Alexander council members approved two legal actions that should result in both commercial and residential development. One is along Cornerstone Road. The other is the vacant half of a block surrounded by E. 1^st. Street, E. 2^nd. Street, A.C. Wallace Avenue, and Main Street.

As previously reported, Mayor Paul Mitchell needed the council to approve an ordinance giving him the authority to sign-off on a quitclaim deed. The deed involves two lots along Cornerstone Road near Central Avenue.

According to Mitchell in July 2016 Doug and Cindy Loften filed a quitclaim deed with the Saline County Recorder giving the City of Alexander those two lots. The problem is one, they didn’t alert city officials of the gift; and two, the finance company was foreclosing; ie. it wasn’t theirs to give away.

All this came to light when someone tried to buy the property for development. The ordinance gives ownership of the property to the finance company. It can now be sold to the developer.

The second ordinance vacates a strip of city easement, designated as an alley approximately seven to eight feet wide, and gives ownership of it to Bartolo Martinez Lozada. The easement runs between E. 1^st and E. 2^nd streets at the rear of the vacant lots, which face A.C. Wallace Avenue. According to the ordinance Lozada intends to sell the property to Heritage Homes.

There have been discussions with city officials as to the requirements for building two duplexes and an apartment building on the property but nothing official has been brought to the planning commission. Vacating the easement will provide more room for the development.

Each ordinance required not only a majority vote to pass but a two-thirds vote of the council to suspend with the requirement to read the ordinances at three separate meetings. Two-thirds of the eight-member council is six. Each ordinance also included an “Emergency Clause” which allows them to go into effect immediately instead of waiting 90 days. That also required a two-thirds vote.

There were six members of the council present at the September 17 meeting. All of them voted “Yes” on each motion. Present at the meeting were Joe Pollard, Juanita Wilson, Harold Timmerman, Dan Church, Melissa Ratliff, and Jeff Watson. Absent were Joy Grey and Elizabeth Bland. Any absent members are counted as “No” votes.

During the public comment portion of the meeting the council was asked for permission to use the abandoned building on the former Human Development Center property as a haunted house during the Halloween season. Mayor Mitchell said he will consult the city attorney on liability issues.

The next regular meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, October 15. Meetings start at 6 PM and are held in the courtroom at Alexander City Hall. The public is invited to attend.

At Alexander City Park, 4 to 9 PM.

Alexander council needs six members to complete business from last month’s agenda

At the August Alexander city council meeting one agenda item was put on hold because part of the voting process required a “Yes” vote from two-thirds (six) of the members. If all goes well there will be at least six council members at Monday’s (September 17) meeting.

The ordinance will give Mayor Paul Mitchell the authority to sign-off on a quitclaim deed. That vote needs only five votes to pass. But, to override the required three readings at three separate meetings and to enact an emergency clause that allows the ordinance to go into effect immediately six council members, or two-thirds, are needed. There were five members at the August meeting.

According to Mitchell in July 2016 Doug and Cindy Loften filed a quitclaim deed with the Saline County Recorder giving the City of Alexander two lots on Cornerstone Road near Central Avenue. The problem is one, they didn’t alert city officials of their magnanimous gift; and two, the finance company was foreclosing; ie. it wasn’t theirs to give away.

All this came to light when someone tried to buy the property for development. Once the ordinance is approved with the emergency clause Mayor Mitchell will sign the quitclaim deed giving the finance company ownership of the property. It will then be sold to the developer.

Other items on the agenda include vacating the, “alley between 1st street and 2nd street” and renew the contract with the Little Rock Water Reclamation Commission.

The next regular meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, September 17. Meetings start at 6 PM and are held in the courtroom at Alexander City Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Planning commission nearing end of zoning regulation rewrite

The City of Alexander Planning Commission is getting near the end of its task to write new zoning regulations for the city. When commission members have done everything they can it will be up to the city attorney to decide if any legal boundaries have been crossed.

During a special meeting held Tuesday evening, September 11, commission members discussed and agreed to nearly 62 additions, deletions and corrections; including the removal of an entire class of zoning. Planning commissioners are currently waiting on a legal opinion from the attorney concerning the annexation of subdivisions.

This was the third meeting in this process. Alexander’s current zoning regulations were approved in 1982.

At their next meeting commissioners want to be able to wrap-up this portion of the process and pass it on to the city attorney for final review. While that’s in progress they will be drawing a new city zoning map.

The next regular meeting of the Alexander Planning Commission will be held Tuesday, October 9, 6 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Alexander Planning Commission special meeting Tuesday

The City of Alexander Planning Commission will have a special meeting this Tuesday (September 11) to continue discussion of the proposed new zoning ordinance. Commission members approved the special meeting during their regular meeting in August.

The only other items on the agenda are the review and approval of minutes and a report from the chairman. Under state law special meetings are limited to the discussion or voting on agenda items only. Nothing can be added to a special meeting agenda. There will be no vote on the zoning ordinance at this meeting.

The meeting will be held 6 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Alexander American Legion Post needs a name

The group forming the new Alexander American Legion Post want to name it after a veteran who lived in Alexander, but they need your help. Traditionally, Legion posts are named after a local individual who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States military.

Members of the Alexander post want to bestow that same honor on a similar former resident. Unfortunately, they don’t know everyone who ever lived in Alexander. That’s where you can help.

They are asking anyone who can recommend a former City of Alexander resident for this honor to send the person’s name, important dates (birth, etc.), and military information to The Alexandrian E-mail address (thealexandrian2013@gmail.com). Include contact information. The nominations will be forwarded to the Alexander American Legion Post board members.

For those wondering, this does include the current City of Alexander city limits.