Alexander American Legion Post says “Thank You” to city officials

There was a surprise waiting for City of Alexander council members and the mayor near the end of their November 19 meeting. Dale Mulkey, commander of the Alexander American Legion Post 28-Ar, presented commendation certificates to Mayor Paul Mitchell and council members in recognition for their support of the legion post.

“You’ve never turned us down,” Mulkey said before handing out the certificates.

The city council has allowed post members to use the city community center (old city hall) as a meeting place. In October they also allowed post members use of the city park to hold a fund raiser.

The post was founded by area veterans earlier this year and has already been granted its permanent charter Mulkey said at the council meeting. Both Mulkey and Alderman Harold Timmerman are founding members of the post, which has now reached a total of 25 members.

Construction to begin soon at two Alexander locations

Now that the Alexander city council has approved rezoning a 
one-acre lot in the original part of the city and approved construction plans in south Alexander, there will be a noticeable change in two of the city’s better-known vacant lots. In the area of the city where Alexander began, a long-time vacant lot surrounded by E. 1^st Street, A.C. Wallace Avenue and E. 2^nd Street will be the site of 14 two-bedroom apartments housed in three buildings. An office building at the southeast corner of E. Azalea and South Alexander Road will be the new home of RBD Construction/Hale Steel.

At the November 19 council meeting Jonathon Hope, of Hope Consulting, told council members construction on the apartment buildings is expected to begin in January. Robert Hale, of Hale Steel, said they have a plumber ready to begin. Once that’s completed the concrete floor will be poured.

A rezoning hearing for the property along A.C. Wallace Avenue was held by the Alexander Planning Commission Thursday, November 15. The hearing gave nearby residents the opportunity to comment as to whether the property should be rezoned from R-1 
Single-Family to R-2 Multi-Family. Only one person attended the hearing and said he had no objections.

At the hearing Hope explained the project will require new drainage and a waterline extended from E. 2^nd Street, along A.C. Wallace Avenue, to E. 1^st Street with a fire hydrant at the end. The three one-story buildings will include a five-unit building facing E. 1^st Street, a seven-unit building facing A.C. Wallace Avenue and a duplex will face E. 2^nd Street. There will be a parking area in front of each building.

After the public hearing the planning commission held a special meeting. It was at that meeting the commission members decided to recommend to the city council the rezoning of the one-acre lot from R-1 Single-Family to R-2 Multi-Family.

Also at the special meeting of the planning commission, Robert Hale presented the company’s office building proposal. The issue of whether the property was properly zoned was discussed.

In 2013 the city council, at that time, was presented with a request by Hale Steel to zone the back half “Industrial” and the front half “Commercial.” Hale Steel, known for the construction of steel buildings, proceeded to build a fabrication shop on the rear of the property at E. Azalea and South Alexander Road.

Planning commission member Juanita Wilson, who was on the council at the time and who is a member of the current city council, remembers voting to approve the request. However, as best as can be determined, that approval was never followed up with a zoning hearing or ordinance. And, as yet, the minutes of that meeting have not been found.

Even though a zoning ordinance was never brought to the 2013 council for approval, commission members decided to accept the vote of that city council as legitimate. Planning commission members voted to recommend to the city council that the office building plans be accepted and the council should give Mayor Paul Mitchell permission to sign-off on the building permit.

At the council meeting Hale said after RBD Construction and Hale Steel merged it was decided they need to all be in one office building. RBD currently leases office space in North Little Rock but when the construction of the new office building in Alexander is completed the entire company will move to one location.

Also at the November 19 council meeting;

A resolution amending the 2018 budget was approved. Interim Treasurer JoAn Churchill told council members there will be one more amendment needed at the end of the year when the last of the payroll is processed and the last of the year’s revenue from the state is received.

The council agreed to accept the offer of $8,000 to buy property across from the Alexander Central Fire Station on South Alexander Road. According to Fire Chief Mark Ridgeway the property in question has been an on-going issue with the city’s code enforcement officer. He also told council members once the property is cleaned the fire department can use it to conduct fire department related activities.

Council members gave the mayor permission to convert any hourly positions to salary where legally possible. Both Mayor Mitchell and Interim Treasurer JoAn Churchill told council members having more employees on salary will streamline the payroll process and make it easier to write a budget.

The next monthly meeting of the Alexander City Council will be held Monday, December 17, 6 PM, in the courtroom in city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.

Heavy agenda for Alexander City Council

The Alexander City Council will have a busy night at its next council meeting. Three action items and one item for discussion are scheduled for the Monday, November 19 meeting.

In the action category council members will be asked to approve a resolution amending the 2018 budget, approve the “Purchase of property next to Alexander Central Fire Station” and a rezoning ordinance. The only item labeled for discussion is, “Hourly to salary wages.”

One item on the agenda, that won’t be needed, concerns a proposed ordinance that was expected to be recommended by the city’s planning commission for council approval. At a special meeting held last Thursday (November 15) the planning commission discussed how to handle a building permit request by Hale Steel.

The company, known for its metal buildings, is ready to construct its permanent corporate offices at the southeast corner of E. Azalea and South Alexander Road. The question is whether the property was ever legally zoned commercial.

In 2013 the city council, at that time, was presented with a request by the company to zone the back half “Industrial” and the front half “Commercial.” Planning commission member Juanita Wilson, who was on the council at the time and who is a member of the current city council, remembers voting to approve the request. However, as best as can be determined, that approval was never followed up with a zoning hearing or ordinance. And, as yet, the minutes of that meeting have yet to uncovered.

In order to temporarily solve zoning issues in south Alexander, until a new zoning map can be drawn and approved, planning commission members, at the Thursday night special meeting, considered recommending the council approve an all-inclusive ordinance that would have zoned all of what was Woodland Hills based on the designs of its developer Charley Martin. That idea was scrapped in lieu of recognition of the 2013 vote as legitimate. Council members now will only be asked to approve the building plans and give the mayor permission to sign-off on the building permit.

The main purpose of the planning commission’s special meeting was as a follow-up to a rezoning hearing held that night. Commission members agreed to recommend the city council approve a one-acre lot, surrounded by E. 1^st Street, A.C. Wallace Street and E. 2^nd Street be rezoned from R-1 Single-Family to R-2 Multi-Family. Construction on the 14, two-bedroom apartments is expected to begin in January. The rezoning ordinance is listed above. (See article below for further information.)

The monthly meeting of the Alexander City Council will be held Monday, November 15, 6 PM, in the courtroom in city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.