Committee to study creation of housing authority

An exploratory committee to research the feasibility of a housing authority for Eureka Springs has been established.

At the regular meeting of the Eureka Springs City Council held Monday, Oct. 26, Mayor Butch Berry announced the five members of the committee who will further look into options to help address homelessness in the city.

The committee will include Al Larson, a local businessman who served on the Eureka Springs School Board for many years; Suzie Bell, co-founder of Echo and Echo Village; Jason Tennant, president and chief lending officer at CS Bank; Jonathan Teigen, chair of the board of directors for The Purple Flower Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Resource and Support Center for Carroll County; and Jay Fusaro, who has many years’ experience working with non-profits.

“The committee members have been selected and they’ve all agreed to be on the committee, this exploratory committee,” Berry told council members. “We will get a report back from them, and I’m putting a deadline of like six weeks to two months. … We’re kind of waiting for more information right now.”

Berry said Heather Owens, who is serving as the city’s attorney, is reviewing state law regarding the development of a possible housing authority, for the new committee to research and discuss.

One of those items involves a current housing authority that exists in neighboring Boone County, Berry said.

“Boone County has a housing authority that comes over into Carroll County,” the mayor said. “That may, and can, act as a housing authority for Carroll County, but that’s revolving. The exploratory committee is going to be looking into that, to see if that’s going to be satisfactory, or if we need to establish our own housing authority, which is pretty complicated, as our city attorney pointed out the last time, and can be, get expensive, which isn’t a reason not to have it; it’s just part of the facts of life.”

PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE

Public works director Simon Wiley told the council during his regular update that water leaks were recently repaired on lower Mountain Street, Prospect Avenue and the intersection of Prospect and Pine Street.

“We replaced seven old meters,” Wiley said. “We only have four more left to go, so we’re doing pretty good on that. Two of those belong to the hospital, so we are going to replace one of those [this week], and then probably do the next one in the first week in November. We’ve got to give them an advance notice so they can stockpile water and stuff when we do those.”

Wiley said his department is also replacing fence boards that were vandalized at the East Mountain water tank.

“We’re going to pressure-wash that fence and restain it and everything, too,” he said. “I got a report from a resident out there that said some kids kicked the fence panels in, so we’re fixing those up.”

Updates to the city’s wastewater treatment plant are being advertised for bids and the bid opening is scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 17, Wiley told the council.

Wiley said it took his department four and a half hours on Sunday, Oct. 25, to clean up all the trash left behind from the Zombie Crawl parade the previous night.

“Then next week, we’ll start installing the Christmas lights and decorations,” Wiley said. “It’ll probably take all of November to get that done.”

MORE INFO ON SOCIAL WORKER

Eureka Springs Police Chief Billy Floyd told the council he wasn’t opposed to having a social worker as part of his department, but having the need for a full-time employee could be difficult.

“The only challenge would be establishing a real need with our call volume,” Floyd said. “There are already resources in place for victim counseling and things like that, and for child abuse, a lot of the things that I would see this being used for.”

Floyd said he spoke with city council member Steve Holifield, who has 20 years of experience in the area of crisis counseling during his time working in the Austin, Texas, Police Department.

“Speaking with Alderman Holifield earlier this last week, I kind of wanted to get his take on how he established, or this was established in Austin, his part of everything,” Floyd said. “We kind of talked about possibly an internship with a follow-up option, just to get them here and get them established. If the concern is integrating them in with our staff, that’s not a concern of mine. I obviously wouldn’t want them in a car, wouldn’t want them answering calls with us, but in a situation where they could be a backup or could sit with someone at a hospital or something like that, I could see that being beneficial.

“To put on a full-time employee, taking from resources from the city and things like that, that might … be a question for you guys, but I honestly can’t establish a need for it as it sits right now. I’d need more information, but I’m not opposed to it if that answers your question.”

Holifield said he spoke to a professor of social work at the University of Arkansas during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the possibility of an intern serving in that capacity in Eureka Springs and he would reach out to see if such an option is still on the table.

“I’ll see if they have somebody that they’re willing to maybe do an internship and to provide somebody over here doing that …,” Holifield said.

REMEMBERING ARMSTRONG

Berry and some council members offered time at the end of Monday’s meeting to remember former longtime city clerk treasurer Ann Armstrong, who recently passed away.

“I want to extend condolences to Ann Armstrong and her family,” Berry said. “Ann had been a fixture in City Hall for many years, and it’s a sad day to lose another one of our people who’ve been around for a long time. … I’m not sure exactly when she moved here, but I know she’d been here for several decades, and been involved with the city. She at one time worked out at public works in the water department and then became city clerk and was a fixture in City Hall… for many years.

“Again, our prayers and thoughts go out to Ann's family.”

According to information posted online, Armstrong, 75, died Tuesday, Oct. 20, “peacefully at her home.”

A celebration of Armstrong’s life will be held from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Eureka Springs.

“In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library in Ann’s honor,” the online information reads.

OTHER ITEMS

Berry said residents can expect to soon receive an email survey requesting feedback from the recent trial entertainment district that was held downtown from July through September.

“Your feedbacks are very important, so please help us out in filling out these survey forms for us and get them back to us because we’ll find out what we think about the entertainment district,” Berry said, adding that the survey results and statistics from the trial district will be available at a workshop at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, immediately preceding the city council’s next regular meeting.

The council also passed a resolution setting a public hearing at the next council meeting on Monday, Nov. 9 regarding a proposal to vacate a portion of an unnamed alley in the Riley and Armstrong Survey. In addition, a public hearing was set regarding vacating an unnamed alley in Block 12 of the Freeman Addition.

The council also OK’d a resolution approving the 2026 Title VI program update for Eureka Springs Transit Authority, and OK’d a change order of $148,577 in costs to pave the road leading down to Black Bass Dam. The costs will be covered by a previously awarded grant, the council was told.