Electrocraft

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010

The

Daily Citizen www.thedailycitizen.com

Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854

LOCAL GOLF TEAMS HIT THE COURSE

The Beebe and Searcy High School golf teams competed in Cabot on Wednesday. — PAGE 1B

OBAMA DISCUSSES ECONOMY IN OHIO

President Obama told Ohians Wednesday that he shares their concerns about the economy. — PAGE 2A

SEARCY PLANT ANNOUNCES 55 NEW JOBS

NEXT MCRAE CITY COUNCIL MEETING When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14 Where: McRae City Hall

McRae mayor requests back pay

Sullivan: McRae is ‘doomed’ without cooperation

By Josh Lee Special to The Daily Citizen McRAE — In a city council meeting filled with tension and heated emotions, Mayor Robert “Bob” Sullivan discussed his compensation, or lack thereof.

According to Sullivan, on Jan. 1, 2003, when Sullivan took over as mayor of McRae “it was a very hostile environment.” The council had previously voted on Dec. 9, 2002, to lower the salary of the mayor from $2,200 per month to $200 per month and made it effective Jan. 13, 2003, Sullivan said, and in February 2003 the council raised it to $800 per month. In CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

AIRPORT TRIP

Where: Russellville airport Why: Inspect their new terminal with a view to constructing a new terminal in Searcy How: Harding’s airplane When: Wednesday

Officials tour Russellville airport terminal Leader: New Searcy facility is needed

By Warren Watkins warren@thedailycitizen.com A new terminal is needed in at the Searcy Municipal Airport, according to Dr. David Burks, president of the Searcy Regional Economic Development Corporation (SREDC).

Burks, who is president of Harding U n i v e r s i t y, led a group of Searcy officials as they traveled to BURKS Russellville Wednesday using the school’s airplane. Buck Layne, President of the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the flight was made at no cost to the city, compliments of Burks and Harding.

“I fly in and out of Russellville all the time and wanted everybody to come and see it,” Burks said. “We desperately need a building CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

Shannon Bard, chief executive officer for SN Tech, provided details Wednesday about his company’s partnership with ElectroCraft Arkansas’ Searcy plant to produce the “green” energy-efficient motors. Also pictured are, from left, Logan Delany, chairman of the board for ElectroCraft, and Gov. Mike Beebe, both of whom participated in the announcement. Warren Watkins/warren@thedailycitizen.com

ElectroCraft to expand plant

E

By Warren Watkins warren@thedailycitizen.com lectroCraft Arkansas, Inc. officials announced Wednesday that expansion at its plant on Benton Street will provide 55 Now: 55 new jobs this Within three fall. years: Perhaps Expansion 500 at the plant will be focused on producing a new high-tech “green” motor that will be markedly more energy efficient than previous heating and air conditioning motors, officials said.

Currently, the plant has 70 workers.

ElectroCraft will produce the

Improved electronics inside the motor allows each unit to sense its environmental needs and adjust its variable speed and torque, Bard said.

Cooperative work locally was headed up by Buck Layne, president of the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, according to Dr. David Burks, president of the Searcy Regional Economic Development Corporation (SREDC), associated with the chamber. The ElectroCraft building is owned by the SREDC, Burks said, and economic development is work that depends on personal involvement.

“Networking, communication and relationships is a huge part

dependence on foreign oil. Of the 55 new jobs, Beebe said, 25 would be for engineers.

“You’re talking about some pretty high-paying jobs,” Beebe said.

Dr. Ronald Hart of Sail Venture Partners, who Beebe said provided venture capital for the partnership, predicted the plant would employ 300-500 within three years in production of the new motor.

Bard said the new motors were an improvement over older styles because of design.

“They’re not cheaper but more efficient,” Bard said. “We produce a motor that is 50 percent more efficient and in a price range that works for them.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

School zone, neighborhood drivers urged towards safety

By Luke Jones ljones@thedailycitizen.com With millions of Americans on the road and millions more starting school, drivers need to keep safety in mind in the coming season.

According to AAA insurance, about half of the students enrolling this year are in elementary school and age 14 or younger.

Patty Williams of the Searcy

DRIVING STATISTICS

Searcy School District Total students: 3,900 Number arriving by bus: 1,300 Number with parking passes: 400 Remaining students walking or being driven: 2,200

School District said the district transports around 1,300 students by bus.

About 400 have registered parking

passes. The 2,200 remaining students either walk or are driven by parents to school.

Williams stressed the importance of stopping for school buses. “When the bus turns on the yellow warning light, that means they are about to stop,” she said. “The yellow light means a warning and the red light means stop.”

AAA offered the following

advice for motorists: ■ Follow the speed limit. School zone speed limits are set low for a reason. Children are unpredictable and may not be able to accurately measure the speed of an oncoming vehicle.

■ Come to a complete stop at intersections with stop signs.

Research shows that a third or more CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

White County revenue ebbing and flowing, treasurer says Adjustments may be needed in September

HIBBITTS

WEATHER

Vol. 156, No. 198 ©2010 The Daily Citizen

NEW JOBS

motors in partnership with SN Tech Inc., which specializes in the energy efficient motors, according to Logan Delany, chairman of the board for ElectroCraft, and Shannon Bard, chief executive officer for SN Tech, both of whom participated in the announcement. Also present were local government officials who had been involved on various levels with developing the new relationship.

Gov. Mike Beebe spoke at the announcement, praising the cooperation displayed in the community that made the development possible. Beebe said the motors would reduce electric bills for residences and businesses by 50 percent and reduce the nation’s

By Warren Watkins warren@thedailycitizen.com White County Treasurer Janet Hibbitts recently recommended that her projections for sales tax revenue be adjusted

Today: Mostly sunny. A slight chance of showers.

Highs in the mid 90s. East winds 5 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 5 mph.

as months go by.

This year’s income has gone up and down — mostly because of delayed rebates on large purchases made within the county — and have prompted Hibbitts to keep a close eye on the budget.

State law requires no more than 90 percent of her projections to

INDEX NATION & STATE, 2A OPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5A CALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6A SPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 4B

be budgeted and spent by the quorum court and allows her to adjust her projections when income is rising, freeing up the extra income. January was slow, Hibbitts said, coming in at about $388,000, but February was “great:” $560,000. March, April and May were slow again but

“

the county’s sale tax revenue picked back up in June and July, prompting her to recommend to the budget committee that the projections be revised. July’s revenue was $460,000.

Now Hibbitts is watching to see how August pans out, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.

CARL SANDBURG

American poet, 1878-1967

Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277

”

The Daily Citizen

Thursday, August 19, 2010 • Page 3A

LOCAL

Downtown Kensett parking Officials: Airport visited problem addressed by council CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Mill Street closing tabled for further study

By Erica Sirratt Special to The Daily Citizen KENSETT — A parking problem around the city council’s meeting place has been addressed through the removal and placement of signs.

L o c a l businessman Charles Who: Kensett City Bisbee asked Council the council at When: 7 p.m. their regular Sept. 21 monthly meeting Tuesday for the “No Parking� sign at the corner of Southeast Second Street and Dandridge Street to be removed. Citizens were having a difficult time seeing around the corner of Southeast First Street and Dandridge Street due to parked cars on the side of the road, Bisbee said, and at the other end of Dandridge, cars were being parked on the left and right side of the street, making it difficult

NEXT MEETING

to drive down the street. After several complaints, No Parking signs had been placed at both corners.

The alley between the building where the city council meets and Bisbee’s mechanic/body shop is not available for parking because the city vehicles have to drive through there. Because of these two guidelines, there is minimal parking for Bisbee’s customers. Bisbee was concerned that he might lose business due to lack of parking. “If my customers can’t come see me when they need to, my business is going to fold,� Charles Bisbee said.

Bisbee said that the police have gotten involved and reprimanded his employees in front of customers, which he felt was unprofessional, even though he understands they were just doing their job.

The council voted that the sign on Southeast First Street and Dandridge would stay where it is, but the sign on the corner of Southeast Second Street and Dandridge would be taken down so that the left side of the street by Bisbee’s

business could be used for parking.

In other business, the council revisited a previous issue.

Last month, the issue of whether or not to close Mill Street was brought up to the Kensett Aldermen. Mill Street is a dead-end road between Birch and Cherry street. Many of the council members wanted to see the area before making a decision, so this issue was tabled to be settled at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Tuesday night, one citizen commented that Mill Street floods when it rains, making it inaccessible. McDonald said that the planning commission was voting on this issue as well, so the council decided to once again table the issue until the Planning Commission has made a decision.

The city council has approved the use of fireworks at the city’s Sept. 11 celebration.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Kensett City Council will be 7 p.m.

Sept. 21. The council meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at 101 Northeast First St.

County: Revenue is ebbing, flowing

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

ONE-CENT SALES TAX REVENUE

One-cent county-wide sales and use tax 2010 revenue January: $387,918 February: $560,373 March: $381,427 April: $235,428 May: $227,973 June: $462,817 July: $460,047 Source: White County treasurer’s office

if revenue continues to increase, she may make a new recommendation to the committee and court. “IfIhavetwogoodmonths, as county treasurer, I’m comfortable with increasing projections to reflect what we’ve actually received,� Hibbitts told the quorum court during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday. “We adjusted because we were wary of what the rest of the year held.�

Becausethewaytherebates — allowed by the state and some with application periods of up to three years — affect revenue streams, Hibbitts said, the revenue levels are no longer an accurate economic indicator for communities.

Most of the rebates were generated through large purchases by gas-related industries, Hibbitts suspects, working to develop the Fayetteville Shale Play.

my attorney is pretty well going to do the talking. It’s election time and there’s a lot of stuff going on. Yes, there is tension, you can tell that in the meeting.�

Ward commented on Sullivan’s request for compensation. “As far as him being owed $110,000, I don’t know if that’s true,� Ward said. “That’s apparently from the council members way before I came in. I’ve only been there a year and a half. I wish we did get along where we could all sit down at the council meeting and take care of things.�

In other business, a resolution to apply for the Community Development Block Grant passed the council. The names of applicants who will be awarded the grants will be announced towards the end of the year or the beginning of the next year, according to city engineer Mike Clayton. If the city obtains the grant, work would most likely start between July and August of 2011.

Clayton suggested the city apply for a grant that would provide for $45,000 for improvements on the park. Improvements would include new playground equipment, basic repairs, and a sidewalk leading from the parking lot. This

grant would “bring it up to standards,� Clayton said.

The motion to apply for the grant passed unanimously.

In the fire department report, it was announced that the number of runs were down and that many of the firemen took time off because of the extreme heat.

The police department report included the information that a new car has been purchased for the city. The car, a 2006 Chevy Impala, was purchased for $5,500.

Chief Ward said that everything had been ordered for it and that the Beebe Police Department helped with equipping it. On Aug. 28, the firing range will be used by the Beebe and McRae Police Departments and residents of McRae should not be alarmed if they hear shooting.

A supper will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 11 honoring the city’s firemen, police officers, and emergency medical technicians. The supper will take place at the community building in McRae. The next scheduled meeting of the city council will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at McRae City Hall.

here in Searcy that says to those that fly into our city, ‘Welcome to Searcy.’�

The airport terminal is often a visitor’s first impression, Burks said, and Searcy’s facility needs appropriate space for a hospitality area, pilot lounge and modern restrooms and amenities. “This is what they expect when they fly all over the world,� Burks said.

Total cost of a new terminal would be $700,000$800,000, Burks said, and the city is pursuing a grant that could provide $400,000 of that. Burks said he has been asked to lead an effort to solicit financial support from the local business community to help defray the cost of a new terminal.

On the plane were Dr. Bob Smith, chairman of the Searcy Airport Commission, Donnie Love, Searcy airport manager, Searcy aldermen Steve Sterling and Dale English, Mayor Belinda

LaForce and Layne, in addition to the two pilots. “They have a beautiful airport terminal,� Layne said.

The Russellville facility is 4,000 square feet and cost $670,000 to build, Layne said. “They received a grant for $400,000 and their city and their economic development corporation took care of the rest,� Layne said. “They did not tear down their old terminal, it’s still there on the left. And to the right of it, several hundred feet away, is this new brick building. It really is impressive, sort of a maroon red brick with white trim. It is pretty, looks nice and clean and had nice meeting rooms that were well furnished.�

Layne said the tour revealed the Russellville terminal had a pilot’s lounge, including showers and locker rooms, wireless capability and a community room used by various groups.

Pay: McRae mayor requests back pay CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

December 2005 and January 2007 the council gave $100 raises, bringing the current compensation for the mayor to $1,000 per month, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the initial action of the council to lower the compensation goes against Arkansas law, which states that only the mayor has the right to lower his salary. “Attorneys will be standing in line to take the case,�

Sullivan said.

The mayor said he is owed $110,000 in compensation.

Sullivan said that he is dismayed at the lack of cooperation in the council and “tired of the personal attacks.� He said the last 18 months have been “chaos� and if the council doesn’t come together to work for the common good, “the city of McRae is doomed beyond words.�

Aldermen Benny Ward said the atmosphere is connected to a case against him with the Arkansas Ethics Commission regarding an incident with the water department and a resident whose water had been turned off. “I was turned into the ethics commission by three people and we’re having a hearing,� Ward said. “I’ve talked to my attorney and

0''

This new “green� motor for air conditioners and heaters will be produced soon at the ElectroCraft plant on Benton Street in Searcy, according to company officials. Pictured are, from left, Logan Delany, chairman of the board for ElectroCraft, plant manager Doug Cook, and Shannon Bard, chief executive officer for SN Tech, who is partnering with ElectroCraft on the new high-tech units. Warren Watkins/warren@thedailycitizen.com

Plant: Electrocraft plans to expand

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

of it and always has been,�

Burks said.

The ElectroCraft plant manager is Doug Cook.

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) provided a number of incentives for the deal to be completed, according to spokesman Scott Hardin:

â– Training assistance: AEDC staff will assist in setting up training for new workers, perhaps in cooperation with Arkansas State University-Searcy. â– CommunityDevelopment Block Grants: This program will provide $355,000 in loans to ElectroCraft.

stopped in the opposite lane. â– Eliminate driver distraction. According to AAA research, glancing away from the road for two seconds doubles the chance of a wreck.

AAA recommends not using a cell phone at all while driving, and in Arkansas texting while driving is illegal. Also, drivers under the age of 18 or drivers in possession of

a learner’s license are not permitted to use cell phones while driving. ■Plan ahead. Leave early and consider extra time needed for congestion. Modify driving routes to avoid school zones and traffic.

For more information, contact the transportation department at Searcy School District at (501) 268-6954.

Safety: Drivers urged to use safety

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. â– Always stop for loading or unloading school buses. It is illegal to drive around a school bus that has stopped to load or unload passengers.

Additionally, in Arkansas, if a road has divider of fewer than 20 feet in width, it is illegal to pass a bus that has

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