Alexander Mayor schedules public hearing for FUN Grant; Council meeting follows

Alexander Mayor Crystal Herrmann has scheduled a public hearing to receive input concerning a grant request. The FUN Park Grant will be used to replace the playground equipment at the City Park.

The public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 PM on Monday, June 16. The regular June council meeting will begin at 6:00 PM. Both meetings will be held in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall), 15605 Alexander Road, Alexander, Arkansas.

In a press release Herrmann said, “We welcome you to come provide your comments to identify potential outdoor park and recreational needs and priorities for 2026 for the City of Alexander. All persons, especially ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, youth and special interest groups are invited and encouraged to attend and participate.”

The hearing is required when submitting a grant request for the FUN Park Grant program. The grant is provided by the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism. This application is for Fiscal Year 2026.

This will be the third attempt at receiving a FUN Park Grant. Despite scoring 32 out of 32 points to qualify, Alexander was not selected to receive a portion of the limited funds. Only a handful of applicants are eventually chosen out of the multitude of applications.

For those unable to attend the public hearing, the mayor has provided other options to make your opinions known. You may phone city hall at (501) 455-2585. Written comments may be submitted to the City of Alexander, P.O. Box 610, Alexander, AR 72002. Comments may also be E-mailed to Mayor Herrmann, at mayor@cityofalexander.org.

The council has already approved the resolution for the FUN Park Grant at the May council meeting. Normally that’s done after the public hearing. A do-over is not listed on the June agenda.

There are, however, three agenda items for the June 16 council meeting. Under Old Business are the “Ordinance establishing a dollar amount for a fixed asset” and an “Ordinance establishing the procurement process and dollar limitation for Mayor to spend.” Both received their first public reading at the May council meeting. Under New Business is an item described as “Shooting range discussion.” This item is submitted by Police Chief Tim Preator.