Alexander Mayor Crystal Herrmann has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday, (tomorrow) August 22, 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall) and will be open to the public. The announcement was made at the council's regular August 19 meeting.
City Attorney Chris Madison explained that the council will be meeting with representatives of the Arkansas Community and Economic Development Program (ACEDP). The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the next step needed for the city to apply for a Brownfield grant.
The city has been attempting to qualify for the grant program, which is used to fund the clean-up of dangerous toxic areas. In this case, the former Arkansas Tuberculosis Hospital for African Americans located on the property of the former Alexander Human Development Center (HDC) in south Alexander along Highway 111.
Madison said the purpose of the meeting is to have the council approve an ordinance that will give temporary ownership, of that portion of the HDC property where the hospital is located, to ACEDP. Madison explained when the state gave the HDC property to the City of Alexander, "There was not the appropriate environmental studies done."
The ACEDP will be able to have the environmental studies done. At the very least the hospital building is expected to test positive for asbestos and lead paint.
Madison said once the tests are completed the hospital will be returned to Alexander. Then the city can apply for the Brownfield grant. More than likely the end result will be the removal of the hospital building to prepare the property for development.
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