Monticello Live

2 years ago, Jeff told about the life of Jesus, as the One Monticello Life for Easter Sunday. I suppose that featuring my Saviour has become an Easter tration, but if Christ hasn’t become the most important part of your life, he’is there waiting to accept you, as the hymn says, “Just As I Am”.

There’s not a more deserving subject for this week’s feature. Jesus, the One who has changed more lives than anyone else who ever walk on the earth, including mine. After reading, be sure to play the video at the bottom.

May God bless you all. – Joe Burgess

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Today is Easter and celebrated many ways throughout Monticello. Children enjoy the candy received from new-found Easter eggs. Spiral ham, mashed potatoes and fresh rolls are served at many family gatherings. Much of this happens after a time of reflection and celebration at one of the 50+ Christian churches in the area. The Holy One that is celebrated on this holiday isn’t a local, but Jesus Christ is found in the hearts of many Monticellonians. This is His story.

Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, Israel. Roman historians subsequently used the birth of Jesus as the dividing line of history using A.D. (Anno Domini, which is Latin for “the year of our Lord”) to mark the coming of Christ.

Jesus was born into humble circumstances. His mother’s name was Mary who was of the Israelite tribe of Judah. At best, the circumstances of his birth were complicated. Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, also of the tribe of Judah. Joseph could trace his lineage back to Abraham. Jewish lineage and ancestry was sacred to the Israelites. However, before they were married, Mary confessed to Joseph that she was pregnant but claimed that the pregnancy was a result of news she had received from an angelic messenger. (more…)

After a banner first year of activity, interaction, new relationships and community news and information, we’re ready to set MonticelloLive aside. We’ve loved having the interaction with people from all areas of Monticello and the surrounding community. We truly live in a wonderful area! Amazing people. Perhaps one of the most well-loved features of the site has been One Monticello Life – the weekly feature of your friends, neighbors and family.

We deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve the community in this way. We hope someone else will take up the mantle of MonticelloLive, but if not, it’s been a great season of life.

One of the primary reasons for turning loose of MonticelloLive is simply the high expectations it’s generated among so many. We simply can’t live up to it!

Another reason, and probably more meaningful, is that as a local pastor, I can no longer afford to divide my focus and time in the way I have with MonticelloLive. Being bivocational, I initially began the website as a hobby and possible source of supplemental income. It quickly – almost dramatically – surged to become a community icon. I simply was not prepared for the time demands – with meetings, interviews, deadlines and the need to justify all the investment by seeking advertising for revenue. I simply didn’t want to be seen as a “reporter” or as attempting to sell ads when folks saw me coming.

Therefore, we’re putting MonticelloLive up for sale. We’ll consider all offers. Please use the contact form to inquire. I will offer website support and full training. It really is a wonderful opportunity for someone, and it’s a vital source of community news and information. For someone who can give it more time than I, its future is indeed bright!

If no one expresses any interest, we’ll simply phase the site out. It will remain online for reference and archiving purposes.

We’re grateful for all the support, kindness and participation of our readers. We’re also very grateful for our regular banner advertisers that made the work more worth it. Thanks to Parkway Bank, A&B Rentals, and Union Bank & Trust.

With summer upon us and kids home, as well as other responsibilities crying out for more attention, we’re making the hard decision to scale MonticelloLive back over the summer. We will still be accepting submissions for stories and news releases, but we will not be actively covering news events until sometime in August.

Last month was the first month that our traffic decreased…. by 5 total hits. In May, the site saw 12,450 pageviews, down from 12,455 hits in April! We continue to be grateful for your participation and help in making MonticelloLive your community site.

We’re offering 50% off on all advertising during the summer months. Just look at the advertising page and figure 1/2 off. With between 400-500 hits per day, that is still the best ad money you can spend in the area. While we expect that traffic will decrease as posting is scaled back, you may want to seriously consider placing an ad with ML over the summer.

We also encourage you to send us news stories, announcements, engagements and wedding information. Your continued participation may provide the “fix” that some MonticelloLive addicts need to get through the summer! ;)

Again, thanks for helping make this site fun and interactive! Oh, and as always, if you’d like to make a donation, you can do so by clicking the donate button on the main page.

At Monticello Middle School, two female students related to school officials earlier this afternoon that they had seen “a guy” walking near the school with what looked like a gun in his hand. Officials immediately contacted local law enforcement, and with their help began a thorough search of the buildings in the school district.

The lockdown comes just a week after an incident at Drew Central Schools was determined to be a “childish prank.” Last month, a University of Arkansas at Monticello employee was arrested after making threatening comments and spitting on law enforcement officials.

The high school office related that everyone is “ok,” and that after a thorough search of the school, no weapons had been found. The students who reported seeing the individual were interviewed thoroughly and assisted officials by providing a description of the individual.

While police did find an individual meeting that description, no weapons were found, and the lockdown was lifted before school was dismissed. Officials will continue looking into the incident to ensure the safety of the students.

According to Assistant Superintendant Tommy Tyler, the principals of the schools had just completed a revision of the district’s crisis plan last week, and it allowed all officials to proceed smoothly through today’s incident.

“We were not going to take it lightly. The police responded great. We’re thankful,” said Tyler.

In another large media sale, Monticello radio stations KHBM, KGPQ, and KXSA owned by Community Radio Network were purchased recently by Pines Broadcasting Inc., owned by Jimmy and Gwen Sledge. The sales prices of the stations was $1.05 million, according to the broadcastingcable.com site. In a letter to advertisers and businesses, Jimmy Sledge stated, “We have retained all of the employees at the stations, and we appreciate your patience during this time of transition of ownership.”

Pines Broadcasting announced that it plans to provide more local news, weather, and sports, as well as offering six different music formats to listen to on the stations.

It has been confirmed by MonticelloLive that Community Communications Company, better known as Cablevision, has been acquired by former general manager Bill Copeland.  Discussions have already begun on upgrades and the addition of new services.

Cablevision provides cable television to 27 South Arkansas communities and both cable television and high-speed Internet services in Monticello. Cablevision was founded in 1973 and was owned by the late Paul Q. Gardner, Jr. until his death in June 2006. His widow, Donna Gardner and sons, Chad Gardner and Paul (Chip) Q. Gardner III, assumed control of the company at that time.  Community Communications Company still remains the largest independently owned cable company in Arkansas.

An official press release has been promised by the new management, and MonticelloLive will publish it as soon as it’s released.

Monticello leaders of Twenty for the Future had a busy morning today as they met with four different congressional leaders in the span of four hours.

While Representative Marion Barry was unable to meet due to scheduling conflicts, the group from Monticello met with his chief of staff as well as with Congressmen Mike Ross, John Boozman, and Vic Snyder.

Bennie Ryburn III was the spokesman for the group in all meetings today as he shared Twenty’s eight-point priority list. The group received a positive welcome from the delegation, and the congressmen pledged their support in many of the projects.

Representative Mike Ross said, “It’s a done deal, as far as I’m concerned,” in reference to the need for a north-south connector from Highway 278 to Jordan Drive to alleviate traffic around the hospital and schools.

Representative John Boozman said, “We’ll help you in any way we can.”

Members of the Congressional delegation and their staff remarked consistently what a positive impact the Monticello group is able to make by having such a large group of concerned civic, business and educational leaders present to advocate the needs of the community.

MonticelloLive is proud to present you with the podcast from the group’s meeting with Representative Mike Ross today:

Pictures of Tuesday’s Washington activities can be found here.

The National Weather Service in Little Rock has confirmed that the tornado that touched down in the northern part of Drew County on Saturday was of F2 intensity. An F2 tornado is defined as a significant tornado with sustained winds of 113 to 157 miles per hour. 25 percent of tornadoes reported in the United States yearly fall within this category.

Crews from the National Weather Service were on the scene in Drew County on Monday to survey the damage and confirm whether the damage sustained was characteristic of a tornado or high velocity straight line winds. A tornado track was discovered that had a path length of 15 miles stretching from 4.5 miles north of Monticello to 3.5 miles southeast of Garrett Bridge in Lincoln county.

To put the scale of an F2 tornado in perspective, the tornado that struck Dumas Arkansas on Saturday has been classified as an F3 Tornado. National Weather Service officials stated on Monday that the people of Drew County are very “lucky.” The tornado struck a mostly rural area of the county damaging only a few homes and outlying buildings.

The tornado tracks in Drew and Desha County were eerily similar to the February 24, 2001 tornado outbreak.

Yesterday, February 26, was MonticelloLive’s busiest day ever! Thanks for your continued interest and helping spread the word around our town and region about the site. We’re so pleased about the positive response, and you are directly to thank for that.

In addition, February has already become ML’s highest traffic month. As of yesterday, the site had already had more than 7,158 pageviews this month! We look forward to growing with you in the days ahead.

As usual, we depend upon you for help with stories and ideas, so keep ‘em coming! Many of the stories you read were ideas submitted by others.

Next Monday through Wednesday, we hope to present you with an exciting feature. More about that soon! We’ll be sending out an email alert with the news about the feature in it first. If you’d like your business or group to advertise in the email newsletter, it’s only $25 for the ad! It’s also limited to the first two advertisers.

Again, thanks for your participation in MonticelloLive! It’s truly a community website!

After being devastated by one and possibly two tornadoes on Saturday, Dumas sought to begin the long cleanup and restoration process Sunday. Members of at least half a dozen churches and other organizations from Monticello headed to Dumas Sunday morning to lend their encouragement, tools, and labor to the relief effort.

More pictures of the Dumas tornado destruction and relief effort here. (If you have pictures that you’d like to submit, please do so at jeff [at] monticellolive.com.

Early reports coming out of Dumas indicate that a tornado touched down and left a path of destruction through the community. Volunteers from the Monticello Fire Department and other organizations left Monticello shortly after the line of severe weather passed through Drew County to lend assistance. Unconfirmed reports are that there many have been some fatalities in Dumas. Dumas is located in Desha County and has a population of 5238, as of the 2000 census.

Officer George Strain returned home Friday after several weeks in recovery at the hospital in Little Rock. He was run over by a patron of the Chocolate Factory as police were attempting to control a disturbance there on January 29.

Members of the police department, Mayor Joe Rogers, and Ricky Calhoun worked over the weekend to build a ramp leading into his home in order for his walker and wheelchair to be able to be more accessible.

Photos courtesy of Susan Hollinger. More photos found at ML’s Flickr account.

Residents and passersby on Main Street first noticed the missing playground equipment at W.C. Whaley three weeks ago. Speculation began as to what was taking place. Large trees and shrubs, in addition to the dilapidated walkway in the rear of the building were cut or torn down. The property looks surprisingly bare these days, and one is able to see more clearly the broken windows and doors that reveal the excessive vandalism that’s taken place since Monticello bought the school from the school district in fall of 2001 for $140,000.

Now Mayor Joe Rogers has a plan for the site. He sees a new city complex/community center on the site, including city offices, gymnasium, indoor pool, walking tracks, basketball courts, and meeting rooms for organizations. The Monticello Economic Development Commission and the Chamber of Commerce offices would be moved to the new location, as well as the fire department. Funding would come from a proposed bond issue. The bond issue also includes funding for renovations of the jail, court room, and other city facilities.

MonticelloLive tried to contact the mayor several times for an interview but calls were not returned. However, the Monticello Advance carried the story in this week’s addition regarding Roger’s plans after attending a Twenty for the Future meeting in which Rogers shared his presentation.

While still in the vision stages, the plans are quite extensive. Rogers compares the desired facility to one that he has seen in Sherwood, Arkansas and says that Monticello needs such a complex as well. Estimates for the facility are in the $5-6 million range. It’s unclear if this includes the estimated $120,000 cost of removing asbestos from the site. He hopes to fund the project by using one-half cent of a new 15-year, one-cent city sales tax that could be presented to voters as early as June. The current one-cent city sales tax is a ten-year tax and would have on the ballot for renewal in September, having last been approved by voters in 1997. The new tax, if approved, would go into effect in January 2008, after the current expires.

Rogers hopes to use one-half cent of the one-cent tax for a proposed $9 million bond issue in order to build the facility and complete other projects relatively soon after the sales tax is approved.

Related Posts:

• W.C. Whaley: glorious past, uncertain future

The Monticello Police Department responded to calls at approximately 1:30 a.m. Monday at Connelley and Gaines where initial reports indicated fights had broken out at the Chocolate Factory.

During officers’ attempts to bring order, Monticello police officer George Strain proceeded to the street to apprehend one of those involved in the fights, Christopher Smith, 18. While on the street, they were both hit by a car driven by McGehee resident Keshia Daniels’, 26, as she left the location.

Officer Strain incurred significant injuries and after being initially treated at Drew Memorial Hospital was transferred to Jefferson Regional Hospital in Pine Bluff. His injuries are not listed as life threatening. Smith was also hit and suffered a severely broken leg. He was transferred to the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock for treatment.

Daniels was arrested in McGehee an hour later for the hit and run.

MonticelloLive is proud to provide you with an audio podcast of Thursday night’s, January 18, Monticello City Council meeting:

Results of the meeting included:

• Mayor Joe Rogers proposed the abolishment of the Monticello Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion passed, 6-1, with Alderman Tim Chase voted against it.
• Robert Rosegrant was approved as Roger’s selection for Chief of Police.
• $262,000 of pool renovations were approved after lengthy discussion. Vote for approving renovations was 6-1, with Alderwoman Sherrie Gillespie voting against.
• A proposal granted the mayor increased authority to approve up to $20,000 in expenditures without accepting competitive bidding was approved by at vote of 6-1, with Chase voting against. The former expenditure level was $10,000.
• Contractual services to the following organizations were granted for the 2007 year: Monticello Boys and Girls’ Club, Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce, and the Monticello Economic Development Commission.
• The city accepted a contract with Garver Engineers for airport layout drawing in preparation for the airport’s capital improvement plan.
• Mayor Rogers delivered his State of the City address.

A full story about the meeting will be posted Friday.

With a vote of 5-2, the Drew County Quorum Court denied the request put to them by the Drew County Memorial Hospital Board to place a referendum on the ballot as early as March 2007.

The Pine Bluff Commercial has the full story here.

Billed as the largest single economic development package since the 1975 construction of the existing hospital, the Drew County Memorial Hospital expansion project formally moved forward today as the hospital board voted to send a resolution to the Drew County Quorum Court requesting that a referendum be placed on the ballot for a March 2007 vote.

The resolution asks for a 3/4 of one-cent sales tax to be added, bringing the current tax rate to 9.75% for Monticello and Drew County. That means that a resident who earns $50,000 a year would be paying approximately $180 per year for the expansion, after they pretax expenditures like housing payments

The project is ambitious. Totaling $21 million, the expansion and renovation will include the following:

• Creation of a “medical mall” on the first floor which will include emergency services, radiology, laboratory, and same-day outpatient surgical procedures which will be supported by three operating rooms and surgery rooms.
• It will add a second floor to the existing structure which will provide 49 private beds.
• A nursing care unit which will include an obstetrical unit with private rooms and a comprehensive nursery, all private medical and surgical patient rooms, and a state of the art Intensive Care Nursing Unit.
• Renovation of the 30 year old facility will allow repairs to the existing structure and realignment of services.

New services added by the project are comprehensive and will allow the hospital to be a regional source for health care. Some of the list of services and features of the massive project include:

• Seven new ICU/CCU rooms
• Four labor/delivery/recovery/post partum rooms
• Expanded and fully equipped nursery
• Three operating and procedure rooms
• Dynamically expanded emergency room area that will allow 10 patient care positions
• Imaging department
• Expanded specialty clinics
• Enlarged pharmacy
• Double the space for the physical/occupational therapy department
• Three room sleep lab
• Enlarged dining and serving area
• Realigned offices and business areas to improve organization and efficiency

The expansion of the hospital will conservatively create at least 35-40 new jobs, according to hospital board chairman Gary Shrum.

The existing hospital is approximately 75,000 square feet and was built in 1975. It is classified as an Acute Care hospital and has 49 beds available.

Shrum commented, “If we were to build the same facility that we currently have today, we would not be licensed by the state because we are 40,000 square foot underfloored. With this expansion, we will be able to offer a number of services that we don’t now have the room to offer.”

The hospital anticipates that the construction will not only bring new health care professionals to the area but will also bring a number of other health-care related jobs and services to the community. By voting to bring the resolution to the Quorum Court and to the community in March 2007, the hospital board wants to place the decision squarely in the hands of local residents.

If the Quorum Court agrees to place the resolution as a referendum for next year’s vote, the project could begin as early as September 2007. The expansion and renovation would take about two years to complete.

The Monticellonian Advance launched an online edition of its weekly newspaper this past week. Located at www.monticellonews.net, the website will be free for the first month, and after that viewers will pay for an online subscription.

According to an article in the Advance publisher Tom White said, “We are pleased to be able to offer on online edition that will make local news immediately accessible to readers who are interested in Drew County happenings – both the local ones, and those living far away,”

“Many of our readers have long been asking for a website, and we have admittedly moved very slowly and cautiously. We have been working on this site for quite some time and we think we have created one of which we can be proud.

“We invite everybody to check it out during the free introductory period, and to keep watching as we work to make it even better.”

Wendy Tassin, advertising manager, told MonticelloLive Wednesday that plans for the online Advance had been in the works for almost three years as personnel selected the right package of services to offer the community from internet providers. The Advance chose Hometown News Hosting to provide the necessary framework for their online edition. The service offers a full features for a subscription-based site as well as services for advertisers.

In what once were halls loud with giggles, energy, and enthusiasm there is now an ethereal silence. It’s broken only by the occasional drip of water falling from holes in the ceiling to land upon the sodden tiles below. W.C. Whaley has been vacant since the 1999-2000 school year. That was the last year the school housed students and faculty. In 2000, the elementary school was relocated to a new facility, named Monticello Elementary School (MES) on Scogin Drive.

In the fall of 2001, the city purchased W.C. Whaley from the school district at a cost of $140,000. Stated intentions at the time were to relocate the city offices, fire station, and other civil services to the facility after a renovation. It never happened. After 5 years of sitting untended by the city, the former school reminds one these days of a structure that’s been hit by a tornado – from the inside.

In the past six months alone, pieces of W.C. Whaley have literally walked away, carried out by looters and others who knew the value of what was within. Empty insulation sheaths that once housed copper pipe litter the hallways of both classroom wings. It’s estimated that upwards of $15-$20,000 worth of copper pipe has been removed from the building without protest. Copper became a valuable commodity in the past year. (See linked image for copper price increase.) Doors, wood paneling, air conditioner parts, and other fixtures have also slowly exited the building.More pictures here.

Doors that once welcomed children at the beginning of each school year now hang on their hinges, many of them opened inward, standing in a sea of glass that they once contained. Windows throughout the facility are broken. Walls and chalkboards are spray painted with misspelled graffiti, making one ponder the irony of the lack of education it represents.

Although the city has not done anything with the facility since it purchased it under Mayor Harold West’s tenure, others have desired better things for the structure. Michael Jones, pastor of Revival Center, related that at the auction in which the school was being sold, he and his leadership team were present to bid on the building in 2001. However, when they determined that the city wanted the facility, they chose not to run up the bid so that the city could get the building for the lowest bid possible.

Other organizations have looked into transforming W.C. Whaley into a community center, a school, and even the city fire station and police offices. At one point, Journey Church looked into turning the facility into a multi-use, multi-organization center for the purpose of community meetings, organizational meetings, non-profit and ministry-oriented service organizations, and tutoring. It has been suggested that the facility be transformed into a new library. Grace Christian Academy considered the possibility of renovating part of the facility as their permanent location.

Renovation is not the only problem facing the facility. There is asbestos in the floor tiles. After representatives from Emtech Corporation paid an informal, courtesy visit to the location for Journey Church, it was estimated that it would cost $120,000 to do the legally-required abatement of the facility. Although new tiles could be laid down on top of the tiles in the cafeteria/auditorium wing, asbestos removal would be required in the two classroom wings since carpet had been glued to the tiles there. To completely tear down the facility and dispose of the asbestos properly would cost approximately $150,000, according to the estimate.

Although the facility was purchased under the leadership of former Mayor Harold West, current Mayor David Anderson attempted to fulfill the original intentions behind the purchase. In 2003, authorized by the city council, he hired an architectural firm from Little Rock to determine the feasibility of renovating the structure for use by the city.

“After meeting with the architect, we determined that it would be more financially feasible for us to remodel our current location, the old post office and city hall and also build a new fire station,” said Anderson.

Anderson related that the estimated cost for renovations to the interior and roof were $1.3 million. These costs did not include an asbestos abatement.

Although the city has reached a stalemate with the structure, W.C. Whaley continues to invite speculation and vandalism. Plywood put over the glass doors did little to stop intruders over the years, and according to Anderson, the police simply don’t have enough manpower to constantly patrol the facility.

With glass littering the hallways and classrooms, pink insulation draped forlornly from missing tiles in the ceiling, and obscenities painted along the building’s walls and chalkboards, this former school is no longer a place for children. It remains to be seen if there’s any life left in it at all.

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness month across the U.S. Southeast Arkansas has a regional center for domestic violence victims in Monticello called Options, Inc. In 1989 a task force was created in the 10th judicial district to examine the need for a shelter for battered or abused women in the region. Law enforcement officials, doctors, lawyers, businessmen and women, as well as professors from UAM surveyed the situation in Ashely, Bradley, Chicot, and Drew counties as it pertained to domestic violence.

Anecdotal evidence had been mounting for several years, but the survey found that 20% of all calls to law enforcement officials involved domestic violence in some way. The findings led to the conclusion the area was in “dire need” of such a shelter. At that time, funding was raised through private sources to begin a program and provide a safe house for victims. The house opened in September 1989 and has functioned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since then. See state statistics here.

Brenda Noble is the current director of Options, Inc. As a UAM student in 1991, she answered an ad in the paper for a part-time advocate position. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a shelter for domestic violence victims at the time,” she said. However, the job transformed into a life for her as she has worked for the past 15 years to serve victims and seek to create awareness and hope for those suffering from domestic violence.

“It’s not just about violence between a man and a woman, a husband and wife. Domestic violence is also prevalent among senior citizens who have grown children addicted to alcohol or drugs. Some of these abusers take their elderly parents’ medical or living money for their own purposes,” Noble said. There is also a distressing amount of sexual and physical abuse to children in our area. In Drew County alone, numbers show that 25% of the calls to police are related to domestic violence. 50% of the population will experience one episode of domestic violence in their life.

Options, Inc. receives funding from private and state funding, as well as some grants. However, all current funding is inadequate to operate the center as it should be. The Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence lobbied the state legislature for assistance in funding for the 26 domestic violence centers in Arkansas. In response, the legislature tacked on a fee to the Arkansas marriage license which is set aside for the shelters. Options also receives some funding from Violence Against Women office in Washington, DC, as well as funding that is produced by the Family Violence Act. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration in Little Rock oversees the federal funds brought into the state for these purposes.

There is a $100,000 limit, however, in funding for each shelter. “It’s very difficult to operate a shelter on that,” Noble said. “Especially in rural areas that are poverty-stricken. We don’t receive much community support. We find ourselves grasping to survive day by day. We struggle just to stay in existence.”

In 2000, Options opened a thrift store in the building on Main Street to help defray expenses. It gave them a presence in the community and an opportunity to create more awareness. However, it also gives them more overhead costs. The vast majority of their funding currently goes just to operating expenses and salaries. Being open 24 hours a day requires that an employee always be available at the shelter to answer phone calls and to be prepared at a moment’s notice to aid a victim.

People suffering from domestic violence can stop by the center or call 367-3488. “We’d like to expand our publicity and create more awareness, perhaps through a website,” Noble said.

Recently, because of financial crisis, Options sent letters out to all the churches in the five counties served by the center. “If every church were to give just $5 a month to our program, we would have no money problems,” Noble related. There was no response from the letters. Likewise, a letter to the editor requesting help and trying to create awareness was published in the Monticello Advance, but there was “no response.”

When asked how the region could best support and aid the program, Noble described two ways:

1. Financial. More support would relieve a very tight situation, and it would enable staff to focus on the primary reason the program exists: victims of domestic violence. “We want to be more concerned about victims and getting the word out than we are about the light bill and rent,” Noble said.
2. Education for citizens, city leadership and law enforcement officials. Describing several situations, Noble explained that not only do victims not know how to respond or where to seek help, but that often those in a position to refer them or send them to the proper sources do not. “We have to interpret the law correctly in order to provide victims with the protection and help they are afforded by the law. Interpreting the law according to your own philosophy leads to poor enforcement which leads to a violation of civil rights, and then victims are re-victimized. It’s an atrocity, to say the least,” commented Noble.

“It’s important to understand how cunning and manipulative some of the offenders and abusers are out there,” she said. “They know how to work the system and how to make it appear as if it’s the victim who is at fault or is lying.”

As the monthly meeting of the Monticello Economic Development Commission began Wednesday, (it meets the first Wednesday of each month in the UAM University Center Capitol Room) president Benny Ryburn informed those present about MonticelloLive and its contribution to community news and communication. In addition, Ryburn spotlighted Monticello Speedway as a business that is bringing Monticello quite a bit of attention.

“Each weekend, there are between 800-1200 spectators,” Ryburn said. With more than 100 race cars and their crew, the new race track consistently draws folks from other communities and out of state. Races take place every Saturday night from mid-March to mid-November. One night recently featured winners from five different states.

In items of business, it was reported the Monticello’s airport, Ellis Field, was recently classified as a Level 4 airport. This has significant implications for the community and region. Improvements at the field will help attract industries who require air transportation and support. According to the Arkansas State Airport System Plan, a Level 4 airport should strive to provide the following:

• A primary runway at least 5500 feet long by 100 feet wide
• Runway should be supported by a full parallel taxiway
• On-site weather reporting capabilities
• An LPV approach supported by medium intensity runway lighting and an approach lighting system
• Pavement strength of 30,000 pounds dual wheel
• Hangars for 80% of all based aircraft; apron area for all remaining based aircraft and 25% of daily transient aircraft
• 5000 square feet of public-use space with phones, restrooms, pilot and conference space
• Jet A and 100LL fuel; self service facilities
• Full service FBO and aircraft maintenance facilities
• Access to rental cars
• An Emergency Response Plan

According to the report, the first round economic impact to Monticello is approximately $824,000. The second round impact is $1,700,400. Total airport impact is estimated to be: 17 jobs, a total payroll of $443,100 and a total economic activity of $2,525,200.

In the director’s report, Director Derrill Pierce related that money has been raised for the needed feasibility study of renovating the old Ridgeway Hotel located on East Gaines. The hotel has been completely cleaned up inside, and the study will help determine “if the Ridgeway can be redeveloped to its highest and best future use from both a construction and economic perspective.” Pierce’s report stated, “The Ridgeway Hotel project is a portion of MEDC’s commitment to revitalization of the inner city, particularly the east side of the community. That revitalization is entirely consistent with the vision of Monticello being created by the Community Design Center in terms of higher density residential development and more pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.”

In addition, the upcoming one-cent sales tax vote in 2007 was discussed as being key to continuing the development of Monticello’s infrastructure, sports complex, and industrial sites.

Pierce also reported that a strong industrial candidate that had been considering locating in Monticello has decided to locate in Rison instead. Treated Materials Company, which produces telephone and power poles, was offered a package of incentives as well as 30 acres of land for their site by Rison. While the MEDC had offered to match Rison’s offer of 30 acres of land within the industrial park, the “company declined the offer because C&L Electric Co-op is a valued client regularly purchasing electric power poles from the company.”

Treated Materials had expressed a desire to locate on 50 acres north of the Intermodal site on Highway 278. However, the MEDC did not have the financial capability to buy the site from Plum Creek since the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department had paid an appraised price of around $3000 per acre for the I-530 Right-of-Way. The Intermodal Authority paid the same for its 400 acres on the south side of 278. While MEDC offered other types of assistance, it was not able to persuade Treated Materials to locate within Drew County.

MEDC continues to pursue an interested company in the Pacific Northwest as a viable prospect for purchase of and location of their business in the SPEC Building in the industrial park. The wood products company would create approximately 30 new jobs should they decide to locate in Monticello.

The flag will keep flying at the old Coca-Cola plant location, according to Monticello Mayor David Anderson. Originally, there was concern when the real estate arm of Wal-Greens informed the city that they had a deadline to remove the large flag pole at the corner of Highways 278 and 425. However, after a meeting with Anderson, Congressman Mike Ross committed to making some phone calls to the Wal-Greens corporation on behalf of the city.

“As a result of those phone calls, the flag will be staying,” Anderson related. “Wal-Greens called us and were very cooperative and said they wanted to be community-minded and patriotic. They saw no reason to move the flagpole at that point.”

The large American flag can be seen from numerous points throughout the city. At times, there is no flag present on the pole, which causes concern. Anderson related that during such times, the flag is probably being repaired. “Those flags are very susceptible to damage and tear easily,” he said. The city has 3-4 flags on hand at all times, either flying or being resown. The flags cost approximately $2000 a piece.

A new flag was purchased for the Babe Ruth World Series in August, but it is currently being resown after sustaining some rips. “The flag will be back up as soon as it is repaired,” Anderson said.

Police are investigating a violent break-in in Tanglewood which resulted in one man being shot. Scott Pearson, 34, remains in critical condition. The incident occurred early Tuesday morning.

Two men apparently broke in the Tanglewood residence. The man’s wife was allegedly tied up. KTHV, Channel 11, reported the story in its early news show Wednesday. It is reported that the Pearson children were in the house at the tim and that one child attempted to escape to call police but was unsuccessful. Lt. John Dement of the Monticello Police Department related that after the shooting occurred, Pearson’s wife was able to free herself and call police. Neither child was harmed.

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