Soccer fields, parking lot getting wooden light poles

Wooden light poles will be used for the lights at Lake Leatherwood soccer field and parking lot. Metal poles will be used for the baseball field, if funding outside the Parks and Recreation Commission budget can be found.

In a three-hour special meeting last Wednesday evening, members of the commission also agreed to use city employees to operate the Lake Leatherwood Park boat dock, bait shop/concession, lodging rentals and to do maintenance work this summer.

The facilities were closed most of last year as a money-saving mechanism to ease the strain on the commission's budget.

There had been some discussion about leasing the facilities to a contract operator, but no one has come forward for the position.

The group decided the income would be worth the expense to have everything open this year at the lake.

"Finding more money" was the primary theme of the special meeting as commissioners got the news the city council had agreed to only match $35,000 of the $50,000 grant they had just received.

In a capital budget workshop just prior to the parks meeting, the council agreed to provide $25,000 for the skate park; $10,000 for a spray park; and $5,000 for furnishings for the community center building at Harmon Park.

Alderman Karen Lindblad did not want to use city funds to totally match the grant. She believes the Parks Commission can find the remaining $15,000 from its own reserves.

The skate park is estimated to cost $75,000, according to Committee Chairman Bill King. There are two companies qualified to build the facility, but no decision has been made on which one will be hired.

The council gave the Parks Commission $80,000 from last year's budget for the ball field lighting project.

Parks Director Bruce Levine said it will cost approximately $10,000 to light the parking lot and $30,000 to put the lights at the soccer field.

That will leave $40,000 in the initial account for the lights.

Putting metal poles with lights around the baseball field will cost approximately $66,000, Levine said.

"Barbara Deschner Dunnam and Draxie Rogers volunteered to see where they could find the additional $26,000 for the metal poles," he said.

Soccer fields, parking lot getting wooden light poles

Wooden light poles will be used for the lights at Lake Leatherwood soccer field and parking lot. Metal poles will be used for the baseball field, if funding outside the Parks and Recreation Commission budget can be found.

Neighbors' opposition stops CUP for apartment units

An application for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a four-unit apartment house at 245 Spring St. was turned down by the Eureka Springs Planning Commission Thursday evening.

Teachers' salary increases start with new contracts

Eureka Springs School District will have to find more than $120,000 to pay state-mandated raises to teachers in the 2004-05 school year.

HIPC approves expanded permits without fees

The Holiday Island Planning Commission (HIPC) approved two changes to permits Friday without charging fees.