Lack of some street lights still an issue in Meadow’s Edge

Gene Derline spoke to council members about an ongoing issue for some residents in Meadow’s Edge, even though it’s still under construction. Derline is vice-president of the Meadow’s Edge Advisory Committee.

His comments came during the “Public Comment” portion of the February 22 council meeting. During “Public Comment” the council and mayor are not allowed to answer questions and each speaker is allowed three minutes of time.

Before beginning Derline acknowledged up front, “Technically, this is out of (your) hands for right now.”

Derline then asked about Phase-3 still not having street lights.

“People are still using their outdoor lights for street lights,” he said. “When will Phase-3 get street lights?”

This has been an ongoing discussion between Derline and Mayor Paul Mitchell. When Phase-1 was first proposed Mitchell required street lights be in the plan. Phases one, two and four have street lights, with Phase-4 nearing completion.

Derline also wanted to know if there is a timeline as to when Rausch Coleman will be turning over control of the subdivision to the city. Rausch Coleman is the contractor responsible for construction of Meadow’s Edge.

Derline said he knows Meadow’s Edge must meet certain “code” before the city accepts responsibility of the subdivision. “And, one of them should be street lights on every street,” he said.

In the past Derline has described his attempts to get the oversight resolved. He says he was told by Rausch Coleman that whoever was put in charge of overseeing the construction of Phase-3 was not told about the street lights.

Before his three minutes ran out Derline asked about having a flashing light placed at the intersection of Highway 111 and the entrance to Meadow’s Edge.

“We are right in the middle of two sharp curves,” he said. “And, the traffic is flying around 111.”

He went on to explain how one driver coming off of Highway 111 turned into Meadow’s Edge hitting another vehicle. Derline believes the driver was going too fast.

Speed on the streets of Meadow’s Edge has always been a concern. At a previous council meeting the topic came up and the explanation given was that until the city accepts responsibility for the streets police have no jurisdiction to write traffic citations in Meadow’s Edge.

Ward-2 Council Member Juanita Wilson later said she spoke to Derline after the meeting and explained how the Arkansas Department of Transportation decides whether an intersection qualifies for a flashing warning light. But even then, the city will have to pay for it.

St. Joseph’s Glen ready to switch sewage treatment provider

St. Joseph’s Glen residents Christopher and Tonya Prowse reported to City of Alexander council members the two improvement districts, under which the subdivision was developed, are ready to begin construction of a sewer line that will connect St. Joseph’s Glen to a sewer line at First St. and Vine in Alexander’s Ward-1. The sewer line, with a pumping station, will replace a sewage treatment plant currently serving the subdivision.

The report came during the “Public Comment” portion of the February 22 council meeting. During “Public Comment” the council and mayor are not allowed to answer questions and each speaker is allowed three minutes of time.

The plan was first introduced to council members at the August 21, 2017 meeting. In order to begin the legal process of making the switch the council had to pass two resolutions to fill three vacancies on each of the two improvement districts. Cammie Wood, Bryan Rupar and Christopher Prowse were appointed commissioners to Alexander Municipal Property Owner’s Multipurpose Improvement District No. 43. Jamelia Wallace, Hannah Self and Kendrick Seahorn were appointed commissioners to Alexander Municipal Property Owner’s Multipurpose Improvement District No. 86. District 43 is responsible for phases one through six. District 86 covers Phase-7. Under state law municipalities must approve the formation of improvement districts and who serves on the board of commissioners.

For over three years the improvement districts have been in court with the operator of the treatment plant fighting a legal battle as to who owns the sewer lines connecting the houses in the subdivision. A judge ruled the treatment plant operator owned only the main line connecting the plant to the subdivision. Not all the sewer lines. Christopher Prowse said that issue has been resolved and the construction can move forward.

The council must now pass a resolution giving permission to the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority (LRWRA) for the connection to be made. LRWRA provides sewer service in Alexander’s Ward-1. The resolution should be on the March agenda.

Alexander’s former K-9 vehicle for sale; Dog cage worth more than car

The Alexander City Council gave Police Chief Robert Burnett permission to sell the 2010 Chevy Tahoe used as the department’s K-9 vehicle. He said he would like to get $6,000.00 for it.

2010 Chevy Tahoe showing dog cage.

“The car isn’t worth $6,000.00, but the cage is,” he said.

There was some discussion among council members as to whether the motion should include a selling price, or price range. Mayor Paul Mitchell explained how in the past the council members always gave department heads permission to sell equipment with the understanding they would try to sell at the highest price.

“If you start setting dollar amounts,” he said, “It may require returning to the council for another approval.”

The Chevy Tahoe has been replaced with a 2020 Dodge Durango.

Alexander council meeting tonight

The February meeting of the Alexander City Council is scheduled for tonight (February 22) 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend. This meeting is subject to limited public access due to Covid-19 and CDC guidelines for social distancing.

Most streets kept clear, No water in South Alexander

The City of Alexander Street Department has been working 16-hour shifts trying to remove as much snow and ice as possible. In the mean time, Saline County Water and Sewer District employees have been operating the water system pumps manually trying to keep the water tanks full. That’s according to Ward-2 Council Member Juanita Wilson.

Wilson says she’s been trying to keep residents informed of these weather-related issues through the app “Nextdoor” and The Alexandrian’s Facebook page. Wilson says ice has kept the snow plows off the eastern end of East Azalea, due to ice on the steep incline. Otherwise, most streets have had snow removed and sand spread down. The street department even cleared Highway 111 to the Interstate, even though it is the responsibility of the highway department.

With Meadow’s Edge still under development the streets have yet to be taken over by the city. Gene Derline, Vice President of the Community Advisory Committee in Meadows Edge, has been seen out with his tractor clearing Meadow’s Edge Drive near the intersection of Highway 111. St. Joseph’s Glen has a property owners association, which is responsible for keeping the streets maintained.

Wilson pointed out that up until a few short years ago the city street department didn’t have the equipment needed to plow snow and spread sand. Between Mayor Paul Mitchell and Street and Parks Superintendent David Durham, the city has been adding the equipment needed to maintain the streets without having to higher an independent contractor.

Water, on the other hand, is a different issue. Sections of South Alexander have been without water since Tuesday (February 16) afternoon. According to Wilson, the flow of water in the valley area has been sporadic. In the higher areas, such as the top of Mountain Drive, there’s been no water since Tuesday afternoon.

Based on her conversations with water district staff, the problem involves the water sensors inside the water tanks. The sensors are coated with ice, which causes them to keep the pumps off because it appears the water level is still high. She says they have been manually turning the pumps on and off to fill the main tank on Brookwood Road.

The City of Alexander does not own or operate the water and sewer systems. North Alexander, Ward-1, receives water from Central Arkansas Water and the sewer system is operated by The City of Little Rock. Except for St. Joseph’s Glen, South Alexander receives its water and sewer service from the Saline County Water and Sewer District.

St. Joseph’s Glen is connected to Central Arkansas Water, but is billed by the Saline County Water and Sewer District. The subdivision has its own sewage treatment plant, but is negotiating to connect to The City of Little Rock system.

Alexander Planning Commission hears traffic count report and Metroplan status

Members of the Alexander Planning Commission heard a report from Chairman Michael Huck concerning the completion of a traffic count study provided by the city’s Street Department Superintendent David Durham. The traffic counts were taken at the end of both 2019 and 2020.

Establishing how much traffic passes various points in Alexander will be included in the Planning Development Report being written by Metroplan. The report will also provide Alexander’s vital statistics including a breakdown of the population, income levels, housing, businesses, and available utilities.

Once the Planning Development Report is completed, the planning commission will begin the process of writing a comprehensive development plan to be used as a guide towards future development in the city. The process will involve public meetings to gather input from city residents.

In 2019 traffic counters were placed in three locations from October 20 to October 27. Location-1 was on State Highway 111 (South Alexander Rd.) just north of Jason Dr.; registering a daily average of 4,825 vehicles. Location-2 was on State Highway 111 (South Alexander Rd.) north of Saint Joseph’s Glen Dr.; producing a daily average of 7,866. Finally, Location-3 on State Highway 111 north of Cornerstone Rd., had a daily average 10,934. (See map below.) Huck noted that’s approximately a 3,000 vehicle increase between each counter.

In 2020 two traffic counters were deployed between November 11 (Veteran’s Day) and November 18. One was placed at the same Location-3 as in 2019. This time the daily average was 11,928; up 994 from 2019. A new location, State Highway. 111 and 2^nd St. (Location-4), showed a daily average of 9,125.

Two counters were placed from December 21, to December 30 in 2020. After 14 months Location-1 was counted again showing a daily average of 5,570, up 745 vehicles from 2019.

The second counter was deployed at a new location on Brookwood Rd. at the Shobe Rd. intersection near the railroad tracks. Labeled Location-5 on the map, a daily average of 2,175 vehicles was recorded. Commission member Stephanie Beck noted schools were closed that week, which means the count should be higher because there wasn’t any school traffic in that count.

Huck said the traffic counts have been sent to Metroplan but writing the Planning Development Report will be delayed. He said Metroplan staffers are currently involved in developing a set of generic zoning laws for small Arkansas municipalities. Once that is completed Huck said they will begin writing the report.

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.